5 Signs That You Might Be Experiencing Chronic Stress
Modern life is stressful, that much we all know. But how big an impact is that constant high stress having on your physical and mental health?
The brain attempts to cope with stress by triggering physiological changes to prepare the body to fight, flee or freeze; sending blood out to the arms and legs ready for flight, shutting down the systems we don’t need immediately such as digestion and shortening the breath to conserve energy. That’s all fine in the short term, and perfect if you come up against a saber-tooth tiger on your way to work, but not so helpful in 21st century Britain.
If you are in a state of constant threat response, then these can lead to a number of worrying physical and emotional symptoms.
Here are 5 signs that you might be experiencing chronic stress:
Feeling anxious, irritable, angry, sad, or overwhelmed most of the time – when your brain feels stressed it means it doesn’t feel safe. It is on constant high alert and looking for some way to remove itself from the real or perceived threat.
Difficulty in sleeping – high levels of stress hormone in the body make it difficult to switch off at night.
Digestive issues, constipation, bloating, weight gain or loss – when you are stressed the ‘rest and digest’ nervous system gets turned off making it harder to process your food properly and extract the nutrients you need and can cause or exacerbate conditions such as IBS.
Muscle aches and headaches – some muscles tighten in readiness for action whereas others are deprived of the oxygen they need whilst it is diverted elsewhere.
Shortness of breath, high blood pressure… the list really does go on and on.
How can I manage stress response?
The first step to managing your stress response is to recognise that it is happening.
So, have a quick check in with your body and make a note of whether and where you might be experiencing any of the above symptoms?
Once you are fully aware of how stress is affecting you then you can do something about it.
Book in for a free discovery call to let me know where stress shows up for you and see what I can do to help you manage this.