How to recognize stress in your life?

Stress seems common and obvious. But one of the most important reasons why burn-outs are also so common these days, is that stress symptoms are not being detected on time! How does stress manifest itself? How can you recognize stress in your life?  Before you read on: check out the possibilities to connect with me online! because you’re probably reading this article for a reason… 😉

Stess, anxiety and tension are experienced differently by everyone. We are simply unique in our being so we all experience stress and tension in our own unique way. Take environmental factors into consideration: someone who works 60 hours per week may face more (work)stress than someone that works 16 hours.  And some of us are naturally talented in dealing with stress, others have more difficulty coping with stress. 

Here below you will find a great source of complaints and symptoms that come to the surface when dealing with stressful situations. Please take a look and see if you can recognize any of these stress symptoms in yourself or others. Because anxiety, stress and burn-out can also go quite unnoticed in your collegues or family members. Be aware that stress can manifest itself in curious ways. 

Emotional stress symptoms:

Fearful, dreary. gloomy, angry, irritated, aggressive, lack of energy, sensitive to criticism, unmotivated, feeling guilt or shame, loss of confidence, low self-esteem, emotional outbursts.

Cognitive stress symptoms:

Low self-esteem, loss of concentration, easily distracted, making mistakes, forgetful, unsatisfied with work situation, indecisive,  self-critical, less intuitive, worrying, bad dreams, nightmares, cloudy/foggy mind, only seeing the negative

Behavioral stress symptoms:

Smoking/ Drinking/ Eating a lot, not eating, pulling back from social situations, having small accidents, biting nails, pulling hair, picking skin, working long hours, not taking breaks,  difficulty relaxing, avoiding work, having difficulty dealing with change, not laughing or enjoying things as before, not performing/ achieving targets.

Physical stress symptoms:

Dry mouth, sweating a lot, sleeping problems, many small physical complaints, pain, hyperventilation, IBS, constipation or diarrhoea,  low libido, chronic tiredness, tension or pain in the stomach, muscle tension, weight loss, weight gain, frequent colds or infections.

Watch this video about recognizing stress and what you can do:

Disclaimer: this is an -old!!- video I once made for a mindfulness group years ago. I’ve decided to put it up here because it might still be of help to you if you are finding out more about stress and how to cope with it! 

 

I recognize that I’m stressed out. What to do about it?

Very good, recognizing stress is step 1. Step 2 is finding healthy ways to cope with your stress. You can do so by using relaxation therapy (including stress management) to learn how to cope with stress in a way that suits you. It is important to take steps and not let stress get the best of you.

In other articles on this website I will already give you many tips so you can inform yourself on how you can start coping with your stress.

Therapy can help you deal with stress.

Don’t wait, take a step and make a change. Contact me.

© Relaxation-Therapist.com

English speaking Therapist Amsterdam English speaking psychologist Amsterdam for anxiety problems, stress, burn-out, psychological help