The 21st-century lifestyle takes some getting used to. Sure, most places nowadays have far better-living conditions than what people had through most of the 20th century, but each period in human history has its own set of problems – our time is no different.
Modern men and women see a lot, hear a lot, know a lot, and are constantly bombarded by new information. On top of that, our lifestyles are usually very busy, as we strive to get the best things out of life. Along the way, a lot of us tend to forget about stress, but stress doesn’t forget about you.
In a lot of cases, people get so focused on their goals that they completely get blindsided by stress – regardless of their body constantly signaling stress problems.
1. Racing thoughts
If you are having problems quieting your mind and your thoughts keep racing over the various worrisome situations and potentially worrisome situations, stress might be starting to get to you. While it’s quite normal to worry about certain things, continuous racing thoughts are a symptom of stress.
2. Insomnia
This is one of the most common ways your body is going to let you know that you are stressed. Sleepless nights are at the root of a lot of other health conditions, so if you are having trouble sleeping, it might be hight time to find a way to unwind.
3. Muscle problems
Being that a lot of people are doing jobs that require a lot of sitting down (or standing up), we can easily misplace muscle tension and aches as a consequence of our physical activity (or inactivity). Still, in some cases, our habits have nothing to do with this but stress and the hormones it releases does.
4. Ticks and involuntary body movements
A plethora of signals that you are experiencing high levels of stress that are reflected in involuntary body movements. Clenched jaw and teeth grinding, ringing ears, shaking of hands or even the whole body, sweaty hands, and feet, twitchy hands, eyes, and more.
5. Appetite issues
This one is a bit tricky, as our dietary habits are not exactly set in stone and depend on a variety of things. Still, if you find yourself losing appetite and being unable to enjoy food, regardless of the fact that you know you should be hungry, then you might be affected by stress. And it goes the other way around. Stress eating is also a possible side-effect, as we sometimes fall into the trap of seeking dopamine releases from eating to dial down the stress we experience.
6. Cognitive changes
Behavioral symptoms are also a got tell-tail sign of high-stress exposure. Stress causes bad decision making, being forgetful, disorganized, having poor judgment, and more. One general behavioral symptom is consistent pessimism and negativity, so if you really can’t stop being negative, stress might be the cause of it.
7. Loss of libido
Having no sex drive is a common side-effect of stress (and cause of stress). The primary reason why stress kills our sex drive has to do with our hormones.
Cortisol is the hormone our body releases when we feel stressed out, and this causes a reduced desire for lovemaking. Furthermore, it is commonly said that your biggest sex organ is your brain, so if you have a busy, stress-filled mind, you might have trouble enjoying sex or reaching orgasm.
8. Emotional instability
If we take a look at the situation across the board, feelings of being overwhelmed, lonely, and worthless are the most common emotional responses to stress.
Frequent changes in mood and easily being agitated are also related to stress, as you might feel that everything hangs in the balance and that you need to take control of the situation. Fear is also quite common.
Long-term exposure to high levels of stress can cause mental issues turning your emotions against you. Depression and anxiety are the two most common mental illnesses caused by having a stressful life. Being depressed and experiencing anxiety is not something that is impossible to deal with, and in most cases, they go away with the stress that was causing them.
However, if the stress persists over a long period of time, so might the illnesses. Getting stuck with chronic depression and/or anxiety is a major problem, and you should address the problem before they can set in.
In the long-run stress can cause major illnesses, but they are not symptoms – they are the result of untreated stress. There are a lot of potential causes of stress, but this is one of the things you should keep in mind – you should approach the problems that keep you stressed out as calmly as possible.
Realizing that you are stressed out about something might make you worry even more. Learning that you are stressed out is something to be happy about! This means that you’ll be able to focus on getting rid of the stress, and this should bring you joy.
The scarier thing is to be oblivious to it and find out once it’s too late. Find your sources of stress and deal with them! Don’t do it rashly, don’t do it by any means necessary – exercise calmness and patience. Engage in activities that help you unwind and reduce your stress levels.
