Do you feel like life is constantly throwing you curveballs? Do you feel overwhelmed, exhausted and unable to concentrate on the tasks at hand? If so, it’s important to recognize that you may be suffering from chronic stress. Stress can affect us in many ways, and if left unmanaged or untreated, it can lead to serious health issues. In this article, we are going to cover 6 key signs that could indicate that you are suffering from chronic stress. If any of these signs sound familiar to you, it might be time to seek help. So keep reading and let’s analyze each sign one by one!
Sign 1: Feelings of anxiety.
Feelings of anxiety are one of the most common signs of chronic stress. They can manifest as feelings of general unease and worry, as well as anxiety more specific to particular situations or tasks. In some cases, this can cause significant distress and interfere with daily functioning. Anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, tremors, sweating and nausea. In terms of the underlying biology, chronic stress can lead to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which results in heightened alertness and greater susceptibility to perceived threats. This “fight or flight” response, typical of acute stress, can become a permanent condition in people under chronic stress.
Sign #2: Irritability and anger.
People with chronic stress may have frequent emotional outbursts or periods of intense irritability or anger. It is often a way for individuals to express their frustration with situations in their life or deal with their intense emotions. From a biological perspective, prolonged activation of the body’s stress response systems can lead to increased levels of cortisol in the blood (also called hypercortisolism). When this happens over time, it can affect brain chemistry, leading to potential changes in mood and emotion regulation.
Sign no. 3: sleep disturbances.
Sleep disturbances are another common sign that a person may be dealing with chronic stress. These may include difficulty falling asleep at night due to obsessive thoughts or inability to relax adequately, frequent awakenings during the night, early awakenings and inability to fall back to sleep, irregular sleep patterns and feeling exhausted upon awakening, even after a full night’s sleep. Studies have suggested that these types of sleep disturbances are linked to increased levels of cortisol or other hormones related to the body’s stress response system, which could explain why they are so common in people who are subject to stress. to chronic stress.
Sign #4: Changes in eating habits.
Stress has been associated with changes in eating habits, such as overeating (especially comfort foods), undereating, and complete loss of appetite. The first case can be attributed to an effort to calm down in the face of difficult emotions, while the second can arise from a decrease in interest in food due to a feeling of overwhelm or preoccupation with stressful thoughts or events. Research has suggested that these types of alterations in eating habits may be related to both psychological elements, such as negative emotionality, and physiological elements, including hormonal imbalances related to fight-or-response systems. leakage from the body, caused by prolonged exposure to stressful situations or environments.
Sign #5: Aches and pains.
Aches and pains (like headaches or muscle tension) are another sign of chronic stress that requires the attention of a mental health professional or doctor. Physiologically speaking, the sustained activation of the sympathetic nervous system (seen during times of intense stress) sends signals for an increased release of adrenaline in our body, which can lead to muscle tension in different areas, including the neck, shoulders, back, lower abdomen, etc. Over time, this tension becomes more pronounced, causing us to experience significant discomfort and suffer from other associated physical disorders, such as digestive problems, headaches, etc.
Sign #6: Lack of concentration/forgetfulness.
Poor concentration/forgetfulness is another sign that one may be suffering from excessive stress levels that require medical attention/intervention before they become more serious problems later on. From a cognitive perspective, poor concentration/forgetting can occur when we are under persistent stress, our brain is overwhelmed, making it difficult to maintain concentration and retain information, as its resources are used up. constantly to manage/destroy all incoming stimulation and try to meet daily needs. Long-term effects include memory impairment, impaired executive functions, and decreased processing speed.
How to fight against stress?
