Physical signs of stress

I talked about stress signals the other day and I think it’s important to know what to look for.  Today, I want to talk about the physical signs of stress.

Physical signs of stress

There are some common signals when stress happens.  Here are some of them:

• Having a hard time breathing – you’re unable to take deep breathes and your breathing seems short and shallow.
• Feeling cold – this would prompt you to get up and do something!
• Sweating – if all of a sudden, you start sweating, your nerves are in overdrive.
• Tiredness – sometimes we feel tired when we’re stressed.  Some people tend to shut down when it’s too much for them.
• Teeth grinding – this happened to me many years ago.  I was unable to control the things that were happening in my outer world and so I started to grind my teeth at night.  So painful!
• Feeling nauseous – sometimes it’s just too much and we just feel awful.
• Fast heart rate – kind of like you feel like your heart is going to jump out of your chest.
• Chest pain – along with a fast heart rate, you may feel pain.
• Fainting – again, sometimes it’s just too much and we faint when we’re stressed.
• Vomiting – we feel so sick that we throw up.
• Headaches – our bodies are trying to tell us something.

These are just a few of the symptoms you may experience but for sure there are others.

Tips to combat stress from Ashley Varner.

The body is amazing

Your body is trying to tell you something so that you can do something about the stressor.  May is Mental Awareness Month so it’s a good time to review these things.  If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it may be time to re-evaluate what’s happening in your life.

What to do?

When we start feeling stressed and you start seeing these signs, it is time to do something.  When we’re in the moment, it is really hard to stop and actually think.  The most important thing at this stage is to recognize it.  Too often, we don’t recognize it until we’re having a panic attack or start getting migraines.  For others, it’s not until they are in the hospital with a heart attack.  Know what the signs are and then take steps to make changes.  I know it’s hard but baby steps will get you there.

My strategy

I do tend to get stressed easily.  I like to be busy and I love to learn.  Life tends to get really busy especially with all of the responsibilities.  When something happens that I wasn’t anticipating or when things just get overwhelming because of my own demands on myself or others demands on me, I do start recognizing the physical signs of stress.  Here is where I break things down for myself, write lists that are achievable and start saying, ‘No’.  It’s hard but I have come to realize I need to do it.  Other things I do are:

• Taking a walk
• Meditating
• Writing in my journal.  Here are some suggestions to find your passion when you’re depressed.

Other ideas

Get other self-care ideas here.  The most important thing is to take care of yourself.  Sleep is so important and you should be getting anywhere between 7-9 hours of sleep.  I know that is a hard thing to do with such busy schedules but it could make a world of difference.  I know that when I get less than 7.5 hours of sleep, I can barely function and it’s hard for me to feel good on the inside.

If we couple sleep with exercise, meditation, any kind of stress relief and a healthy diet, you will start feeling better.  I promise you – then you’ll be able to tackle anything that comes your way with more focus and clarity.