Signs of stress
Stress is expressed in many different ways. Usually there are some subtle (or obvious) signs that you are out of balance. When you ignore these signs they tend to become more exaggerated, to the extent that you will become physically ill if you fail to take prompt and preventative action.
Here is a comprehensive list of the various symptoms you can experience:
Physical Signs
Excess weight for your age and height, loss of weight or weight gain
High blood pressure
Frequent heartburn
Heart throbbing, tightness across the chest, shortness of breath or fast breathing
Chronic diarrhoea or constipation
Chronic illnesses, headaches and migraines
Inability to sleep, a feeling of constant fatigue
A need for painkillers or some other daily medication
Muscle spasms and twitches
A feeling of fullness although you have not eaten
Knot on the stomach and/or constant dry mouth
A tendency to faint or feel nauseous
Excessive nervous energy that prevents you from sitting still and relaxing
Mental Signs
A constant feeling of uneasiness
Constant irritability with the family and work colleagues, thoughts of lashing out at others
Boredom with life
A recurring feeling of being unable to cope with life
Anxiety about money
Morbid fear of disease, especially cancer and heart disease
Fear of death
Confusion and inability to think “straight”, poor memory, indecision and preoccupied,
Nightmares and bad dreams
A sense of suppressed anger, cynicism and negativity
An inability to have a good laugh
A feeling of being rejected by your family, feeling that you can’t discuss your problems with anyone
Reluctance to take a holiday
Emotional
Feelings of tension and anxiety
Fear that something is going to happen
Guilt, panic attacks, feelings of fear and being scared
Inability to control emotions
On-going anger, intense anger or rage, quick to lose temper
Feeling emotionally numb, unable to identify feeling and emotions
Depression, inability to enjoy life or activities, feeling of helplessness and hopelessness
Irritability, distrust of others, over-sensitivity
Behavioural
Slow speech or very fast speech
Outbursts, get frights easily, jumpy
Withdrawal from others or aggressive behaviour toward others
Not taking care of physical appearance or hygiene
Loss of sexual appetite
Tendency to have accidents,
Inability to rest or sit still, constant fidgeting, out of the ordinary behaviour
Excessive drinking, loss of appetite or a desire to eat as soon as a problem arises
Inability to cry or a tendency to burst into tears easily
Interim Actions You Can Take
If your stress levels are very high your initial focus needs to be take care of your body: ensure that you get enough sleep and rest and eat healthily. Cut out all junk food, alcohol, coffee. Eat more fruit, vegetables and non-fattening meals and snacks. Unhealthy substances break down your immune system and over time this will drain your body and lead to definite health problems.
If you have slightly high stress levels, then you need to identify those areas that are creating the most stress. Take a critical look at all the activities you are doing by keeping a daily diary or at the end of the day doing a 5 minute evaluation of those aspects that “stole” your time or drained your energy. In fact these 5 minute “reflections” every day will provide you with quite a bit of insight into what is happening with your time. Take 1 step then to improve the situation and implement that change immediately.
Identify some weekend activity that you enjoy and start to introduce that. It may be something that you prefer to do on your own as opposed to with the family. Just negotiate some time for yourself. Or alternatively do try some new outdoor activity with your family.
Go back to the Stress and Depression category for articles that cover the major sources of stress, the role of perception in stress and some more stress management techniques.
The content in this article was provided by Linda Germishuizen - Clinical and Industrial Psychologist, and founder of PsychMastery.
About PsychMastery:
I founded PsychMastery because I understand that being human can be quite a daunting journey. We live in a world that is changing rapidly. As a result the demands on us are significant. Without even realising it you can find yourself on a path that is so far removed from who you truly are. Or where you want to be. Unless you are aware of what is happening to you, the demands of life may dictate where you will end up. And when you wake up to the reality, years have passed by.
I observe how disconnected people are or feel. Either they are caught up on this ever moving treadmill coping in unhelpful ways. Or they are questioning whether this is what life is about. So many people seem to have lost touch with the essence of who they are beneath all the masks and defenses.
PsychMastery enables you to reconnect with the essence of who you are. I also help you to bring deeper meaning back into your life through the use of sacred ceremony. In this way, you will feel that there is divine presence guiding you. You will also feel a greater degree of community with the important people in your life.
For more information, contact:
Website: http://psychmastery.co.za/
Tel: 082 467 3214
Email: linda@psychmastery.co.za