Stress Can Rule Your Life

Everyone can suffer from stress at some time in their life but how do you identify when it’s hit a danger point in your life? Feeling a bit anxious, or stressed, when you’re trying to meet an important deadline at work, or when you need to get up and give a speech to the PTA, is really normal. But if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by life’s most ordinary tasks, too much stress may be to blame.

Stress can and does impact the body physically, emotionally and even behaviorally. A few danger signs to look out for are:

Emotional Distress.

When you find your emotions running rampant, it may be time to evaluate the stressors in your life. Sudden mood changes, unreasonable anxiety, finding it difficult to get to sleep or staying asleep, trouble concentrating, and even excess worry and feeling tense all of the time, are sure signs of stress.

Behavioral indicators.

Do you notice that you tend to overreact? Do you act on impulse or withdraw from relationships with friends, family, or even your co-workers? Are you using drugs or alcohol more frequently than ever before? It may be these stresses in your life are having a negative effect on the manner in which you deal with the pressures around you.

Physical Symptoms.

Stress is known to have a negative effect on an individuals health. As stress builds up over time, with very little release, anxiety can turn inward, causing both annoying physical complaints like fatigue and headaches, to more grave problems like diabetes and strokes, among others. Too much stress has also been linked to some strains of cancer.

When somebody starts to show these signs, chances are stress has already begun to impact their lives in a negative way. They could be feeling overwhelmed or seriously tired, or have a list of more serious health complaints.

Depression too has been linked to chronic stress, especially for those with a family history of the disease. Special care should be taken when the stress factors in life start to impact you so greatly that intense feelings of melancholy ensue. Depression, like stress, can be treated with medication and therapy and must never be ignored.

Stress has a place in everyone’s life. It is a great source of power and can help us to overcome great obstacles and face emergencies with clarity and focus. Too much, however, can turn us inward, strip our confidence, and overwhelm us so greatly that we find it difficult to complete the most basic tasks. Stress can give us strength, or it can deplete us of our reserves, leaving us exhausted and overwhelmed. Learning how to recognize when you've got too much stress, and discovering a means of dealing with it are vital if you want a healthier lifestyle.