Stress Signs and Symptoms

Is Stress Affecting Your Health?

How do you know you're stressed? What are the symptoms and signs?

Some stress can be good. It can help you perform better. But how can you tell when it's gone beyond that point? How can you tell when stress is starting to affect your mental and physical health?

The good news is there are warning signs you can look out for. The bad news....stress affects every part of your mind and body so the signs and symptoms could be almost anything.

Your stress reaction is also likely to be different from your colleague's or friend's. And if you've been stressed for a while you might have these symptoms most of the time. So you don't recognize them as warning signs...

But when you know what to look out for you can tell when you're in the danger zone. Here are some of the most common stress signs and symptoms....

• Poor sleep (either too much or too little)
• Irritability, restlessness, agitation or anxiety
• Feeling depressed, withdrawing from life
• Feeling you can't stop
• Feeling tired all the time
• Eating more or less
• Having a feeling of a lump in the throat
• A frequently dry mouth

Here's another way to think of it.....

Your response to stress can fall into one of three categories - angry, depressed or frozen.

For example imagine you're very late for work stuck in traffic jam.

You might.....

Get angry and agitated. Maybe at the other drivers, or your spouse for delaying you that morning. Maybe you start beeping your horn or calling to the drivers in front to get a move on...

Get depressed. You think you're no good. You can't even make it too work on time..

Freeze. You can't seem to do anything. You seem calm but really you're very agitated.

(Adapted from research by Stress Psychologist Connie Lillas)

Ok so what if you recognize some of these danger signs in yourself.....

Should you see a doctor?

If you're experiencing some of the stress signs and symptoms it's best to see a doctor. That way you can make sure that your symptoms are caused by stress and not another health problem.

And when you know its stress.........

This site can provide a lot of help. You can follow a streamlined meditation course designed to help relieve stress at easy meditation techniques

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