Signs You Are Stressed

Posted December 10, 2007 at 12:30 PM by Mark Scott

Section: His Health, Mental Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health

If there is one common complaint from a vast majority of individuals, it’s that they are stressed! While most people think they can tell when they are stressed out, sometimes there are symptoms that you may overlook.  It is important to constantly monitor your stress levels and take action when they start getting out of control so that you are able to maintain good health.  One of the biggest reasons that people fall off their diet or workout programs is because the stress becomes so overwhelming they can no longer deal with it.

The following are symptoms that you may attribute to other reasons when in fact, they are consequences of stress you are experiencing, either consciously or subconsciously.

Pounding Headaches

One sure sign that you are experiencing stress is if you have repeated pounding headaches that just do not seem to go away.  Migraines in particular are linked to high stress levels so if you get these on a regular basis it might be worth taking measures to reduce your stress to see if that solves part of the problem.

You’re Always Sick

If you find that you get sick on a very regular basis, this again is a sure sign of stress. If you have recently been in college, or can remember back to your college days, you may recall just how prevalent this is. When exam time came around, it seemed as though a great proportion of students all of a sudden became ill. It wasn’t because there was a bug going around, it was likely because of the stress the students were experiencing, which decreased their immune system and made them more susceptible to getting sick.

Your Skin Has Gotten Worse

If you usually have clear skin but have noticed that you’ve been breaking out a lot lately, stress could be the reason.  When your stress levels are high you are going to see an increased chance of acne or redness forming.  Psoriasis is also something that you may start to experience when stressed, as it is an autoimmune disease. So keep this in mind next time your face isn’t looking like its normal self. Stress is a much bigger factor of breakouts than any type of food you are eating, contrary to popular belief.

Your Motivational Levels Are Lacking

If you’ve been feeling sad frequently or don’t have much in terms of motivational levels, stress could definitely be the reason for this.  People who are under stress are more likely to be irritable and don’t think as clearly as when they are under stress. Furthermore, you may want to isolate yourself as a way to deal with it, which can only make the problem worse. If you’ve been noticing this, try to talk to someone about it, it is far better than hiding away in your house as the feelings may not pass if you do.

So don’t overlook these characteristics of stress. While they are definitely not as obvious as the more common symptoms of stress (feeling overwhelmed, feeling fatigued and screaming at anything that crosses your path), they are just as telltale that something is going on in your life that you need to deal with.

Research sources and for more information: [picture]