Stress can be a silent killer, as it often builds up slowly, and by the time we notice it, it’s usually already wreaked a lot of havoc. If you’ve seen your life taking a lot of turns for the worse, you could be a victim of excessive stress or anxiety.
Stress is emotional pressure or strain from challenges you’re facing in your life. Stress can be external, such as work stress, or it can be internal, like an anxiety disorder.
Causes can even come from more than one place, piling up and leading to some disastrous consequences. If this sounds a little too familiar, you should learn to recognize the signs of stress, some of which may be subtle or even surprising.
Understanding these signs can help you take action before things spiral out of control.
Sleeping Too Much or Too Little
Stress plays a major role in our sleep quality and quantity. When work or other issues actively bother us, it can delay our ability to fall asleep. Instead, we toss and turn while dwelling on the stress, giving us less time to sleep.
Stress can also make it easier to wake up in the night, interrupting deep sleep, which is responsible for a good night’s rest and repairing physical ailments. Stress can also make you more tired, leaving you desperate for more sleep.
Treating your underlying stress can improve your sleep quality, boosting your immune system, mood, and productivity.
Frequent Digestive Issues
Stress is more connected to physical health than many people realize, especially when it comes to digestive health. Among the physical signs of stress, gastrointestinal issues are some of the most common.
Research shows that your mind and gut are closely related; dysfunction in the digestive system can lead to stress, and vice versa.
If stress is taking over your life, there’s a good chance your bathroom habits have changed as well. You may have more stomach pain, acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or an increased need to use the bathroom.
Particularly stressful events may even trigger a bout of vomiting or diarrhea.
If your bathroom habits are changing for the worse, you may want to address your underlying stress. Seeking therapy, mental health medication, and ways to make work easier are great places to start.
Focus on your gut health as well by incorporating probiotics to help your gut flora. Yogurt, probiotic fruit snacks, and kombucha are all excellent sources of beneficial gut bacteria. Pay attention to your diet; excessively fried or fatty foods can also make digestion more difficult.
Social Withdrawal
Social withdrawal is one of the lesser-discussed but significant signs of stress. Stress can dominate your life, causing you to drop previous engagements and hobbies that once brought you joy. It impacts your ability to socialize or enjoy social events.
If you’re rescheduling or canceling social affairs more, you could have too much on your plate. Your friendships or family ties may have weakened since your stress levels increased.
You may also frequently skip parties or other social engagements. Even when you are feeling pressured, social engagements allow you to relax and lean on others for support. When you withdraw socially, your support circle can weaken or vanish, leaving you alone with your stress.
Make time for friends and loved ones. Host and attend parties and get-togethers often. Don’t let your friends slip through the cracks.
Poor Work Performance
Work is often a common cause of stress, especially if you have a high workload or an incompatible work environment. When stress peaks, it can make it difficult to focus or meet deadlines the way you used to.
If you’re missing deadlines, overwhelmed by your workload, or are late to work often, you could be dealing with too much stress. It’s important to find out the cause of your stress through self-reflection and therapy so your career can thrive.
Emotional Dysfunction
Stress can put a negative spin on our normal emotions. Feeling sad, angry, or other “negative” emotions is normal and even healthy, but stress can make it difficult to balance your feelings or feel good at all.
If your mood dips at the drop of a hat, or your joy doesn’t feel as prominent as it usually does, you might be bogged down with stress. Constantly snapping at your coworkers, friends, or family isn’t normal.
It’s time to head to a mental health professional to evaluate what your behavioral changes might be caused by. A lot of times, stress can be the culprit.
Addressing the Signs of Stress Before They Derail Your Life
If you think stress may be impacting your life, it’s vital to get it addressed. When you leave stress unmanaged, it can ruin your life and increase your risk of addiction, job termination, divorce, broken friendships, and even financial troubles.
A lot of symptoms of excessive stress, such as social withdrawal and emotional dysfunction, can also point to other mental health conditions like depression or bipolar disorder.
The best way to find the root cause of symptoms and stress is to seek a mental health professional (or a few).
They can help you identify the causes and symptoms of your concerns with expertise.
