Stress is part of everyone’s daily life. For some the stress comes from loss of jobs, wondering how the bills will get paid or even death of loved ones. There are many things in the world that we can NOT control, but one thing we CAN control is how we deal with stress. Read below how stress affects the body and develop awareness to keep your stress under control.
Let’s start with the basics. Being mindful of how stress affects your body is important. Pay attention to your body close enough to know you are feeling stressed and need to take a time out. You need to have a sense of how stress affects you. So right now, stop and take inventory. How does each part of your body feel? How does stress affect the body? Work on identifying the stress areas before you deal with it. Below is a helpful list of common affects of stress.
Common Stressful Thoughts
- This is too much, I can’t handle this!
- It’s unfair. Someone should be helping me.
- I don’t have time for this!
- I’ll never finish.
- I have to get this done now!
Emotions from Stress
- Irritable
- Bad tempered
- Anxious
- Impatient
- Angry
- Depressed
- Hopeless
Physical Reactions from Stress
- Heart racing
- Rapid breathing
- Tense muscles
- Skin is hot and sweaty
- Difficulty concentrating
- Restless
- Bladder or bowel problems
Behaviors from Stress
- Unable to settle down
- Shouting or arguing
- abnormal eating or drinking
- Using drugs or alcohol
- Smoking more
- Strong emotional releases like crying
For more stress symptoms, please click here.
If you can keep the stress at a minimum and deal with it as you go, you can keep it under control. Mini check-ins through the day can be helpful. Use the scale below to rate your stress during your routine check-ins.
- None to little stress at all. Your body is feeling relaxed and in control.
- You begin to feel stressed and notice your body is reacting to it. You feel pressure about the situation, but are still in control.
- Your body is starting to get really tense and you feel stress symptoms increasing. You begin to doubt your ability to handle the situation.
- Stress symptoms are strong and you begin to lose control and start to feel like you can’t handle the situation.
- You feel out of control and cannot handle the situation. You feel as if you might blow up if you don’t leave.
Knowing how stress affects the body is the key to making progress. Start small and get very familiar with your reactions to stress. Don’t worry about any techniques at this point, just stay focused on your body and mind. In the next blog we will begin to explore some different stress management techniques so you can enjoy your life more!