Recognising Signs of Stress

So we know what stress is. We know it has been around in one form or another as long as there has been a life form with some intelligence. Certainly life forms that understood that their own life could be in danger. We can probably recognise it in other people but can we recognise it in ourselves?

Are you impatient and have a tendency to “snap” at people, especially those close to you? Think back, were you always this way or has it recently become the norm for you?

Headaches. Regular headaches or ones that do not seem to go away no matter how many painkillers you take.

Stiffness or soreness in your neck and / or shoulders as you turn your head from side to side.

Feeling of nausea or excess acid (heartburn) – caused by the tightening of your stomach muscles.

Tiredness. You have a good night’s sleep but wake up feeling as tired as when you went to bed.

Having three or four hours sleep waking and not being able to get back to sleep.

Constipation. Yes, even constipation. Not surprising really if we are holding our abdominal muscles taught all the time and not realising it.

Unable to concentrate for long periods or there is a “thought somewhere” but it just will not come to the fore.

Finding it difficult to relax no matter how tired you feel. When you are “relaxing” and watching television, are your legs still or do you have a foot tapping in mid air or on the ground?

Alternatively, you have a burst of energy in the morning but just feel like sleeping all afternoon.

Panic attacks. A feeling of panic that sweeps over you. You may hyperventilate or hallucinate, everyday objects “coming at you” or going out of shape.

Quite some list. I am sure you could add other tell-tale signs. Of course all the above may be signs and symptoms of the onset of other illnesses, something that must be taken into consideration.

Stress can cause all the above and can be a contributory factor to many illnesses of body and mind, this is why we need to try to control it.

You may identify one or more of the above in yourself and wonder why you have reached this state of mind. The next thing to do is to look back over the last few months. Have you had a death in the family that has affected you more than you think, gone through a divorce or separation from a partner, lost you job, been overworking, had a serious illness or noticed a change in health in a close relative? The list goes on.