Are you struggling to deal with stress? 8 signs & symptoms to watch out for

Stress and anxiety haunt most of us almost every day of our lives. Sometimes we throw the word around loosely without realising the actual impact it can have on us physically and mentally. A few of us see stress as a good thing, a sign that we are working hard to achieve our goals. Stress seems like an integral fallout of being ambitious and working hard inboth our personal and professional lives.

Stressing over something also sometimes carves a path for us to do something better. Some amount of stress, i.e., pressure or tension, is important for our functioning. This is called "Eustress" i.e. positive stress where even though we are worried or tensed, we still feel confident in our ability to handle the challenges in front of us. Eustress is important as it keeps the drive & motivation within us going. Therefore, even though we are challenged, we know we can handle it.

However, issues begin to arise when we are dealing with a lot more than what we can effectively handle and this positive stress turns into distress. When we find ourselves worrying, fretting over, thinking over & over again about certain things or not being able to manage our day-to-day lives efficiently & effectively, that is when we have exceeded our capacity to handle stress and need to do something about it.

Your body and mind give you telltale signs that indicate it is time you do something about the stress. These signs can be physical, emotional or social. Tiny things that are telling you that it is no longer advisable to wear stress as a trophy around your neck.

Damini Grover, Counselling Psychologist and Heal Your Life Coach, tells us the eight key signs that indicate you are struggling with stress.

1. Physical symptoms: If you find yourselves reaching for those headache pills more often than ever, that means your mind is struggling to handle stress. You might also feel tightness in your shoulders or back, random aches & pains, digestive issues etc. when stress gets too much to handle.

2. Difficulty sleeping: How well you sleep, how much you sleep, and how fresh you feel in the morning, can all tell whether you are struggling with stress. You might find yourself sleeping more than normal but still don't feel fresh & active in the morning. Or, you are struggling to fall asleep, wake up in the night several times, have vivid & unpleasant dreams, etc.

3. Difficulty focusing & concentrating on day-to-day tasks: When stress overpowers your brain, it struggles to focus on what matters. If you are finding it difficult to concentrate and manage everyday tasks with ease, take note and work towards tackling stress.

4. Feeling tired, fatigued and unmotivated: Stress also brings down your energy levels. If you haven't spent your energies on any special task in a day, and you still find yourself feeling tired and lacking the motivation to do something, you are probably suffering from a mental drain. Stress might not feel like a tangible thing, but it can suck out all your energy, leaving you feeling tired.

5. Mood Swings: Being overburdened with work and responsibilities often causes stress. When you feel helpless about it, stress overtakes you. It becomes tough to keep a calm mind, you get restless, edgy, and irritated, more than usual. You also tend to feel angry; experience crying spells or don’t feel like interacting and engaging with people at all.

6. Isolating yourself socially: Running away from the crowds and wanting to be alone is another classic symptom of too much stress. People who experience anxiety often want to be alone. Talking to others seems like an impossible task as your brain is too busy processing things that are causing stress in the first place. Also, you might not be willing to let people sense that you are stressed or dealing with something. So you simply start keeping to yourself and avoid social situations.

7. Too much smoking, and alcohol: Sometimes people turn to cigarettes and alcohol to manage the sense of overwhelm brought on by stress. These things might calm you down temporarily, but if you find yourself reaching for them more than usual, seek help.

8. Eating more or eating less than usual: Food acts as a cushion, a comfortable space for many of us. This is how the concept of comfort food arose. There are some foods that can instantly bring on happy hormones. However, beware of overindulgence as stress often leads you to binge eat. Similarly, there are others who start avoiding food when they are stressed. If you have been eating more or less than your usual diet and have been mentally overwhelmed, stress is getting the better of you.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE