Signs of Stress
No matter how much we organise our workload, whether it’s in the office or at home, stress still manages to wriggle its way in. Able to manifest itself in a number of mental and physical ways, stress can leave a sufferer feeling weak, tired, insecure and depressed.
Stress and its numerous after-effects is usually brought on by busy and time-consuming lifestyles, and in some cases can lead to ill health. From bad tempers to sleepless nights, stress effects people in different ways. Thankfully however, there are a number of tell tell signs to identify stress, but if these signs are ignored over time, they can lead to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
What is Stress?
When a person is stressed, the body releases hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline to help deal with difficult situations. These hormones work in the short term, for example when you break your leg or are put under mental strain. However in the long term, they’re actually the culprits that cause many of the symptoms of stress.
Ultimately, stress is the body’s response to danger, whether it’s real or imaginary, and it also helps you stay alert, energetic and focused in emergency situations. Many people have benefitted from increased stress levels in live or death moments, as it can give you extra strength to fight or quicker reaction times like breaking to avoid an accident.
Once your stress levels reach a certain point however, they cease being helpful and start being detrimental to health, sometimes causing severe medical problems, as well as decreased productivity, social relations and quality of life. Furthermore, increased stress levels can hinder your sleep, no matter how comfortable your Archers Sleep Centre bed is.
Causes of Stress
As many people experience high levels of stress on a daily basis, most are unable to recognise when their levels are out of control. To some people, stress even feels normal, even when it’s having a profound effect on your body.
There are many reasons why people feel stressed, with negative factors like jobs and finances resulting in most breakdowns. Stress levels can also be attributed to positive situations too, like getting married, going to university or buying a house. Stress levels are different for everyone however, and there is no singular root cause as stress is determined by an individual’s perception of an event.
Inability to accept certainty, pessimism, unrealistic expectations, lack of assertiveness and negativity are some of the main causes of stress, and the body doesn’t distinguish between physical and mental threats. Whether you’re in a life or death situation, or you’re in a traffic jam, your body will release the same amount of chemicals to cope – the more your body’s stress systems are activated, the harder they are to shut off.
Learn How to Relax
Although it might feel that your world is falling down, there are a number of ways you can respond in order to get a little relaxation back into your life. Successfully managing stress means taking charge of your thoughts, emotions, environment and your schedule. Yoga, deep breathing and meditation are quick and easy ways to decrease your stress levels whether you’re in work or at home. By practicing these techniques over time, you can learn to maintain focus and belief no matter how stressful the situation.