Five signs that you’re suffering from stress

Stress is commonplace no matter where you go. Most people throw out the phrase I’m so stressed on a daily basis. However, having a bad day is different to being severely impacted by stress, as this is when it begins to seriously impact your health and lifestyle. Being aware of the signs that stress is negatively affecting your health is key to understanding the problem and recovering from it. 

What Can You Do About It? 

Understanding what is causing the stress in the first place is key to beating it. It may be that you’re simply reacting badly to situations, or it may be that something specific is causing the stress, such as a person or a job. Once you’ve acknowledged the cause, you can work to either handle the situation better or remove it completely from your life. 

Daily techniques can help with stress, such as eating better, exercising more and practicing calming techniques like mediation and mindfulness. You can even look into professional classes like Gloucestershire Meditation & Mindfulness where you can find a schedule which works for you.

In more severe cases, you should see a doctor if stress has compromised your health. 

What Are the Signs of Stress?

1. You Can’t Sleep 

Lack of sleep can cause a high amount of stress, but in turn high amounts of stress can cause lack of sleep. Insomnia is a key indication that your stress levels are too high, leaving you unable to switch off and tossing and turning during the night. It may be that laying in bed is the time you begin to go over things in your head, which can increase the anxiety and stress levels. 

2. Illness Symptoms 

Stress affects the body just as any illness does. You may be suffering from a high amount of headaches, have a bad stomach, chest pains or a complete lack of energy with flu-like symptoms. You may also be more susceptible to catching illnesses, as high levels of stress can compromise your immune system and your body’s ability to fight off infection. 

3. Forgetfulness

Having a lot of things on your mind and fretting over them means you’re more susceptible to forgetfulness. You may be easily forgetting the little things, missing appointments or forgetting about certain responsibilities. Forgetfulness associated with stress is caused by short-term memory problems, such as being disorganised and not being able to remember where you put something. 

4. Extremely Low Mood 

Stress takes its toll on you, both physically and emotionally. High amounts of stress can leave you feeling run-down, bad about yourself and feeling distinctly withdrawn and lonely. It can even trigger more complicated conditions like depression if your stress levels and low mood are severe. You can become agitated and have less patience with those around you. 

5. Loss of Sexual Desire 

It may be that the last thing you want to do after a stressful and busy day at work is spend time with your partner. This doesn’t mean that you’re simply tired; stress can affect your libido, meaning you may find that you’re never in the mood, and are never feeling positive enough to find joy in that way. 

If you’re worried about high levels of stress, be sure to contact your doctor.