If you are curious to know the signs that you may unhealthily stressed, then read on. Some of the points may surprise you!
(Feel free to check out my other articles 5 Tools to Reduce the Effects of Stress Now, 10 Brilliant Reasons to do Yoga, and for tips to improve that life-giving ability to oxygenate your brain and body well, head to The Power of Breathing).
Stress is a natural part of being a human being, yet modern living seems to be challenging people in ways that have lead to an unprecedented rise in stress disorders worldwide. So, what are the signs to look out for? Here, I have gathered a list of 10 key points (in reality there are more), to help you identify whether you have too much stress in your life.
1. Sleep problems
Our bodies rebuild and restore when we sleep. We can handle missing out on a few hours of sleep here and there, but prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to health problems, such as low immunity, poor healing, loss of mental clarity and emotional distress. This is one of the most important points to prioritise if it is unbalanced. Stop drinking caffeine after 1-3pm, and aim for a regular bedtime to kickstart the body’s natural sleep rhythm.
2. Irritability
Less patient, more snappy and feeling ‘thin-skinned’? A common sign of excessive stress is irritability and lack of an ability to handle challenges. Tolerance goes out the window when our system is being taxed. If this is you, try not to judge it but instead see it as a sign that you need to help yourself make some changes.
3. Poor eating habits
Often we become excessively stressed when we have squeezed too many activities into one day without ensuring adequate downtime. This rushing often leads to not having enough time to plan meals or to eat proper foods, and eating ‘on the go’ becomes the norm. Eating on the go is a bad habit that stresses the body unnecessarily. An increase in take away orders and an empty fridge are common indicators that the ‘food area’ in your life is suffering.
4. Weight gain/weight loss
To be clear, by weight gain we’re not talking a few pounds here and there, but a significant change in your weight. During times of stress, people can respond in exact opposite ways regarding food intake: some eat more, some forget to eat. Both habits can be signs that a person is acting unconsciously and is not quite in touch with themself.
5. Talking fast and loud
Being in sympathetic overdrive (Fight & Flight) can influence the way we talk and behave. When we are rushing and feeling wired often our voice projection can be affected to the point where our speech actually becomes more forceful, erratic and loud.
6. Low libido
When we are in Fight & Flight mode our sexual urges often become suppressed. Why? Sexual activity and reproduction is not a priority of survival, therefore this function is immediately bumped down the priority list of our nervous system when under pressure. Healthy sexual function actually requires relaxation! (Try listening to my 10 minute Relaxing Body Scan meditation).
7. Low attention span
Get distracted all the time? Can’t sit still for two minutes without reaching for your phone/computer/other thing to keep your mind occupied? An easily distracted mind, forgetfulness, and constantly switching between tasks without finishing them are indicators that you got more going on than you can manage. Working in this hectic and disjointed way frazzles the brain unnecessarily.
8. Poor digestion
This is an often overlooked key indicator of stress. When the body is in Fight & Flight mode (stress mode), it will naturally down-prioritize digestion, because while this is an important body function, it isn’t crucial for survival. When stressed, survival is all your nervous system cares about. Longstanding issues with digestion, constipation, diarrhea, stomach pains, irregular bowel movements, sudden food allergies etc need to be addressed, as these can be signs of a stressful lifestyle as opposed to a primary stomach problem.
9. Shallow breathing
Find yourself yawning, feeling dizzy, taking sudden and random deep breaths, and feeling sluggish during the day? You might not be getting adequate oxygen into your brain and body tissues due to dysfunctional breathing. Excessive stress in the body often results in a reversal of the natural breathing pattern, leading to mouth breathing. A pattern of mouth breathing is an often overlooked sign of long term stress. Nasal breathing is our natural way of breathing! Read on for ways to change this.
10. Low immunity
When the body is in Fight & Flight mode (survival mode), it naturally down-regulates the immune system as immune function is always second priority to survival. Over time, this can lead to a weakened immune system, getting sick more often and generally feeling less resilient health wise. For women, a period that remains absent for months (when not pregnant), should get the alarm bells going, as this is a sure sign of excessive stress (Amenorrhea).
The recap
See a pattern forming here? Our reptilian brains are designed to monitor whether we are safe or unsafe – if the nervous system deems that it is unsafe, it will shut down any mechanism in the body that takes up energy that could be used for survival. It’s that basic. But failing to understand this basic function of the nervous system gets a lot of people in trouble, as they end up working against their own bodies, and not with them.
What to do about it:
The fist step is to identify the areas that you struggle with. Note them down and try becoming more conscious of when and how you struggle with these aspects. Stress cannot be dealt with as we continue to rush along with both eyes closed and one hand in the back pocket. Recovering from stress is a journey that requires time and your full attention.
- Slowing down is one if the key steps to implement, as actually slowing down your pace gives you a chance to breathe, and catch yourself falling back into unhealthy habits. Try physically slowing down everything that you do, how fast you move, your speech, your eating, your mental processing etc. This will likely provoke you at first, but stay with it until you sense yourself calming down.
- Simple but healthy foods. Ensure you get good nutrition by eating things that are simple to prepare but still healthy. Eggs are a phenomenal source of nutrition and take 7 minutes to boil! Likewise, edamame beans can be kept frozen, and take two minutes to boil. Oatmeal can be prepared in numerous ways and is packed full of fiber.
- Regular deep breathing exercises is one of the most powerful ways to recover from stress, because the way we breathe can either signal distress or safety to our nervous system. (Did you know that breathing differently can drastically alter signs of stress? (Check out my blog post The Power of Breathing to see how).
- Reduce caffeine intake until you feel more calm and less wired. Caffeine keeps us ‘wired but tired’, and can cause you to fail to register your own fatigue by keeping you wired. Furthermore, caffeine keeps you addicted to the feeling of adrenaline being pumped through your bloodstream, keeping you hooked on a life that feels ‘busy’ and ‘productive’.
- Plan space in between your daily appointments. This will ensure you don’t squeeze more things into your day than you can manage, and will reduce the risk of you rushing from one thing to the next.
- Eat in peace. Meal times are an overlooked yet crucial opportunity to signal calm to the brain. When we eat we are supposed to be in Rest & Digest mode (the opposite to Fight & Flight survival mode), therefore when we eat calmly and in calm surroundings as opposed to ‘eating on the go’ (which is the worst idea ever!), we are doing what our nervous system wants us to do, thereby creating a coherent response in our brains.
- Do yoga. Yoga is designed to bring about a more balanced state of being (check out my article 10 Brilliant Reasons to Do Yoga).
- Seek stillness. Learning to be still is a very powerful way to help reset your system. Beginning to remove excessive noise and overstimulation from your life until you are better, is often necessary if your brain and body has become hypersensitive. You may already find that you have instinctively been seeking out quiet surroundings (Check out my article The Power of Peace). It is important to note that we do not need to always isolate ourselves and go live in a remote forest in order to reduce stress.
- Be patient. Habits take many repetitions to change – but if you commit and do the ‘work’, eventually they will! Hang in there, and be kind to yourself in the process. We are just humans trying to learn to live this life.
- Guided meditations. There are literally tons of resources out there. You can begin by checking out my recorded relaxing meditations under Free Resources. This library is growing, so make sure you sign up to my newsletter to get updates on new free resources!
- Get help! Book a session with a professional to help organize yourself and kickstart your journey to better health. Get in touch via the form below if you wish to check out options for health coaching.