Everyone of us experiences stress daily. Job stress, family stress, relationship stress etc. In fact, stress has become a normal part of our everyday lives.
Stress itself, is not entirely bad news for us, but if it is already too much, or above normal level, stress can be detrimental and damaging both to our mental and physical health.
After all, stress can bring a string of health problems such as: depression, anxiety, hypertension, and heart attack.
With stress becoming a daily part of our life, by now, what we need to do is to educate ourselves on how to properly manage stress.
Learning how to properly deal with stress helps us arm ourselves fight its adverse effects to our health. Experts say that stress management is not as difficult as we think.
Apparently, most people who are over-stressed fail to realize how burnt out they are. Do you belong with this ‘most people’? Find out if you are too stressed; read the warning signs listed below:
[1] You snap at everyone over the simplest reason
According to Christin Porath, a professor of Georgetown University, overly stressed people are rude to others. This is due to the fact that they are so stressed and overwhelmed that they no longer have the mental bandwidth to consider the feelings of other people.
Do you find yourself snapping to the littlest of things? Did you over-react and thought how stupid your co-worker is when they asked you about a report?
Did you lose your patience when the barista mistook your order? Why don’t you take a deep breath and stop stress from taking charge of your temperament.
[2] You have a hard time sleeping
According to Lindsay Holmes, Deputy Healthy Living Editor of The Huffington Post, overly stressed people have minds stampeding with thoughts instead of shutting down at night. This inhibits the brain and body from resting and replenishing.
Hampering memory, muscle repair, and positive mood as a result. What makes things worse for overly stressed people is that this could lead to persistent insomnia and a malfunctioning immune system.
Do you find yourself having a hard time falling asleep at night? Perhaps you are burdening your brain from overthinking about matters that could wait for the next day.
Do you find yourself having cold that doesn’t seem to go away? Perhaps your immune system needs help. Learn how to manage your stress effectively before stress manage your health.
[3] Your entire body feels tenderly sore
According to Melinda Beck, a health contributor of The Wall Street Journal, every time our brain senses a threat, it activates the sympathetic nervous system and signals the adrenal glands to pump out adrenaline, cortisol, and other hormones that prepare the body for action.
This makes the muscles to tense up, the digestive system to slow down, the blood vessel to constrict, and the heart to beat faster. When our body reacts this way, our muscles remain contracted for a lengthy duration of time. Making your entire body feel sore.
Feeling your entire body aching from sore despite not doing any physical work? Why don’t you take a trip to the nearest spa near you and treat yourself for a much-deserved body spa. This will not only relax your body but your mind as well!
[4] You have a hard time focusing on important tasks
Study shows that overly stressed people have a hard time channeling their energy and attention on important tasks. Instead of focusing on the work they need to do, their minds are filled with thoughts bouncing around their head at speed of light.
They have a hard time controlling it and knowing that tasks need to be done on time simply overwhelms them. This results in work delivered beyond deadline, or not at all.
Do this sign of over-stressed manifest to you as well? Why don’t you bring a stress ball to work, or master a 2-minute breathing technique which will help in calming your nerves? Do not let your stress overtake your work from you, learn how to manage it!
[5] You think about work 24/7
According to Adrian Granzella Larrsen, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Muse, taking too much work home, even if your work is just in your head, can make you feel anxious, sleep deprived, and boring.
Learn how to leave physical work at the office, do not take your issues and concerns from your work to your home as well.
Your home is a place where you should be at ease, it should be a place of comfort and solace. How will this happen if you constantly think about work?
Immerse yourself in a new hobby or watch Netflix and chill, give your mind a break from work as well!
[6] You have Acne break-outs
According to multiple studies, Acne break-outs is one of the most visible symptoms of over stress. Overly stressed people have a habit of touching their faces more often than those who do not.
This habit tends to spread bacteria in the face, which in turns, lead to the development of Acne. In a different study conducted, Acne severity is experienced by students before and during taking an exam.
Start de-stressing, listen to the sound of waves crashing on the beach while you prepare for examinations. Doing this would help you be more focused on studying instead of fretting over whether you will pass or fail!
[7] You have frequent headaches
Studies show that stress is a factor of headache. A study constituting of 267 people with reoccurring or chronic headaches found that this is due to stressful events happening before they developed chronic headaches.
A different study shows that in a survey conducted to 150 military service members, headaches were triggered by stress. This makes stress as the second most common cause of headache.
Do not let one or two incidents of notable headache turn into a chronic headache. Learn how to control your stress and incorporate relaxation techniques before things go beyond out of your control!
Before stress takes hold of our physical health and mental wellness, let us learn how to evaluate our stress levels. Sure, it is normal to experience stress, but prolonged stress is dangerous to our health.
It is time we deal with stress accordingly to prevent it from causing serious health damage, that would only stress us more in the long run!
Taking a short vacation from work, or developing a new hobby that is unrelated to our work, playing with our children, and having a romantic dinner with our loved ones from time to time sure will help in reducing the stress we experience.
(Note: This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only and not to be treated as a professional opinion, recommendation or medical diagnosis.)
