Stressed Out?
Are you stressed out? You may be more stressed than you realize. Stress has a lot of different sign, symptoms and effects that affect everyone differently. Much of the time we don’t even realize how stressed out we are. We ignore many of the signs of stress and some of the effects of stress sneak up on us over time, so we don’t even notice them until they are full-blown problems. Our world today certainly breeds stress. With family, work, finances and social demands, just about everyone has some stress in their lives. Some people withstand more stress than others – some seem to strive on it. For others, getting too stressed out can lead to serious problems with relationships, health and career.
So how do you know if you really are stressed out or not?
There are many signs that you could be getting stressed out. Some are quite obvious, some you may not know about at all. Stress symptoms can be physical, mental, emotional, cognitive and behavioral.
Maybe you are starting to notice that you are seeing everything in a negative light lately. Maybe everything that happens seems to be a bad thing these days. Or maybe everything you do seems to go wrong or not turn out as planned. If you are noticing things like these lately, you may have more stress in your life than you think.
One of the first signs that you are stressed out is increased irritability and being easily angered or frustrated. You may find yourself snapping at people of getting really bothered by little things that don’t really matter. Often the people around us notice this before we do. If your friends, family or co-workers are finding you snappy and hard to get along with lately, you might need to consider if stress is getting to be a problem in your life.
Feeling overwhelmed by the things in your life, even small tasks and events is a sure sign of stress. Being overly sensitive about the little things in life usually means you are stressed out too.
Stress can compromise your immune system too. If you find that you are getting more colds and flu than usual, your stress level may have something to do with that. Since stress often triggers poor eating habits, this can also contribute to a compromised immune system if you’re not getting all the vitamins and minerals you need every day.
When you are stressed out your sleep is often disturbed. Some people find they are tired all the time and are sleeping much more than usual, but more often stress will make it hard for you to sleep. You may be having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking through the night. You may also sleep all night, but wake up feeling like you have hardly slept at all. In this case, you are probably not getting a restful sleep.
Inability to make decisions or feeling too overwhelmed to make them is a common sign that you are stressed out. Sometimes the simplest decision seems impossible to make and often you simply can't deal with day to day problems or situations.
If you are stressed out you may feel like you don't have time for anything anymore. This may be the important things in life like spending time with your family, or even day-to-day things like self care and grooming. If you find that you are not doing things with family and friends anymore, or if your appearance is not as good as it used to be, you should examine the stress in your life and see if it is starting to take over.
When you are stressed out it can be very difficult to concentrate and focus on anything. Sometimes it seems that there is just so much going on in your mind that it's impossible to think straight. Other times it seems like your mind is in a fog. You may feel very slow-minded, like you just can't seem to form an intelligent thought at all. These are common signs of stress.
Some of the physical signs that you may be stressed out are high blood pressure, chest pains or shortness of breath. These can become serious conditions if not looked after quickly, so see your doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. Your body is crying out for stress relief.
Stress can often lead to depression and anxiety if not addressed early. If you are having anxiety attacks or feeling anxious all the time your stress may be turning into anxiety. Some early depression signs are loss of interest in things you once enjoyed, withdrawal from friends and family and a general feeling of malaise and fatigue. If you are feeling these types of things, your stress has gotten way out of hand and needs to be treated.
Stress can also lead to joint and muscle stiffness and pain. Usually this begins in the neck and shoulder area, but can affect any of your muscles and joints. Tension headaches are common and so is jaw pain. Backaches, knee and hip problems, and many other aches and pains can often be attributed to stress.
Digestive troubles like heartburn, indigestion, abdominal upset, cramps and diarrhea can all be caused by stress as well. This can be quite disturbing and can last a long time. Many times it is caused by your changed appetite and poor eating habits caused by stress, but it can also be caused directly by stress as well.
It can be hard to realize sometimes that you are stressed out until the stress has already gotten out of hand. If you are seeing or feeling any of these signs, you really need to address your stress and take steps to alleviate it. There are many things you can do to relieve stress and they will make a huge difference. It is important to identify your stress and address it quickly before it turns into something much more serious.
