We have come to expect a certain level of stress in our lives. Sometimes it can feel like a competition. We compare our stress levels; wear them like a badge of honor. It can be easy to forget the serious impact stress can have on our overall health. While some stress is manageable, how do you know when you are dealing with dangerous levels? There are signs. Here are the Top 5:
Your diet has changed dramatically
Whether you've been skipping meals, leaning heavily into convenience and comfort, or falling short on prioritizing nutrition in your diet, big changes to what and how you eat can be one of the concrete signs you're stretched too thin and struggling to keep up.
According to the American Psychological Association, people who are stretched too thin, working too hard, or battling chronic stress tend to gravitate toward more high-calorie, high-fat, comfort foods, but their bodies also tend to store more fat than it does when they're relaxed. So, not only are their eating habits quickly changing, their physical bodies quickly follow suit…
You're not finding time for the things you love
Whether it's a hobby like reading or running, spending time with loved ones, or even having an open conversation with a partner, people who are stretched too thin and struggling to keep up find it much more difficult to find time for the things they usually love.
With their brain trying to overcompensate for high levels of stress, anxiety, and emotional turmoil, and exhausted from burnout in their physical bodies, it's not surprising that they're avoiding these activities…
You have a short fuse
Psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter argues irritability is a common symptom in people experiencing burnout. It not only affects relationships, things like picking petty fights and snapping at people for no reason, but it greatly affects your mental health and general well-being as well.
Especially when you're not consciously aware of your stress or fumbling around trying to figure out how to mitigate it, this irritability and having a short fuse can be emotionally draining. You're self-isolating from the people who care about you, engaging in behaviors and language that don't feel fulfilling, and adopting negativity from the moment you wake up…
You struggle with basic tasks
When you're grappling with chronic stress, your body tends to adopt a "fight or flight" response to the anxiety and emotional turmoil you're experiencing, even if you're not consciously aware of it, according to experts from Harvard Health.
This response, the body's natural way of fending off perceived danger or threats, can make simple daily tasks feel impossible, even if it's just brushing your teeth, moving your body, or getting the mail from your mailbox…
You feel numb
According to therapist and mental health counselor Joe Nemmers, numbness or emotional detachment can be side effects of chronic stress. Our body sometimes "freezes" or shuts down to cope with emotional turmoil, which affects not only our tangible routines and tasks, but our capacity for clear thinking, emotional regulation, and expression.
It's our nervous system's survival mechanism for chronic stress, but actually experiencing it can be confusing and disorienting, especially if you're already someone who struggles to acknowledge and regulate your emotions…
For six more signs you are dangerously stressed, and what you can do about it, read the full article here.
None of these signs should be ignored or normalized. If you are experiencing any of them, it is time to step back and re-evaluate. Are there changes you can make in your life to alleviate some of the stress? Do you need support? What can you do to get back on the path to physical and mental wellness? Life will always have its ups and downs. But when stress begins to manifest itself physically, it's best to take notice and work to do something about it.