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9 Signs You’re Too Stressed Out

Are you stressed out and not realizing it? Stress is a silent enemy. It sneaks into us stealthily, spreading itself through the various spheres of our lives right under our noses.

It is very common for people in general to have no idea of the amount of stress accumulated inside them. It’s only when they’re rushed to the hospital or when they blow up with loved ones or stumble over unpleasant thoughts that they realize something is wrong.

As much as everyone is more stressed today, women tend to suffer more from stress. Many still work double shifts, working during the day and taking care of the house and family at night, while others want to embrace the “wonder woman” stereotype and fill every hour of the day with chores. Thus, the result is exhaustion. Suddenly, we no longer have the will or interest in completing the to-do list, in addition to exuding a constant bad mood.

Identifying Stress

It is common for the word stress to be used to describe someone who is always in a bad mood or has a short temper. However, stress doesn’t just manifest itself through irritability and mood swings.

Each person feels stress differently and sometimes the manifestations are so atypical that they are confused with symptoms of mental illness and disorders. The possibility that stress is the cause of discomfort is not even considered.

There are dozens of symptoms of stress. Identifying them can be difficult, so we’ve put together a few signs to keep an eye out for. If you can relate to most (or all) of them, reflect on the way you are living your life. You may need to make some changes.

1. You Suffer from Constant Headaches

Frequent headaches or migraines are classic indications that you are overly stressed. If you need to take a little medicine to relieve tension in your head almost daily, excessive stress is likely the culprit. Pay attention to the moments when the migraine arises to see if it is related to external events.

2. You Get Tired Easily

Now reflect on your daily life. Do you come home tired and unwilling to do anything other than plop down on the couch? In the middle of cleaning do you suddenly feel like your energy has drained? Has completing tasks become more difficult, as if it took a tremendous amount of effort to accomplish something simple?

Stress steals our energy. When we experience high levels of stress, we are unable to lead a normal life. Even after a relaxing weekend, on Monday morning the tiredness persists. Thus, our body simply cannot rest as it should.

3. You Gained a Lot of Weight

Stressed people often take their discomfort out on something they find pleasurable, and for many, it’s food. As the instant pleasure that the act of eating a snack or delicious meal brings comfort, the tendency is to eat more and more to relieve tension. Eating, then, takes on an emotional weight.

The increase in the level of cortisol, the well-known stress hormone, causes the body to save more energy and thus accumulate more fat. This is also the reason behind exaggerated weight gain even without changes in eating habits.

4. You Can’t Concentrate

One symptom that is often confusing is a lack of concentration. The stressed person perceives the sudden difficulty in focusing on tasks that were once simple to perform. At work, for example, he makes silly mistakes.

The inability to concentrate results in distraction, which can cause minor accidents, such as broken objects, and moments of forgetfulness. Where’s the remote? Where’s the car key? Did I send that important email?

The lack of concentration also affects your mood as avoidable mistakes become commonplace, leaving you irritated. This condition leads to frustration and undermines self-confidence. Soon, you realize something is wrong and start to wonder if you have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or something similar. You are stressed.

5. You are Always Bad

People who are stressed tend to react with unusual intensity in normal situations. In addition to ignoring the little joys of your day, if someone responds to you with a little more rudeness, you are either very angry or extremely hurt.

It’s as if something encourages you to reject any good emotions and focus only on what hurts you. Briefly reflect on the emotions you have been feeling recently.

Do you feel sorry for yourself, finding reasons to resent or dislike the people and situations around you? Do you feel lonely, unwanted, and helpless? Do your thoughts bring up scenarios of tragedies and incessant worries? When was the last time you felt good in your skin?

If your answers have a negative connotation, stress is likely taking over you.

6. You Have Unexplained Skin Problems

Did you know that the skin is one of the organs most affected by stress? After highly stressful episodes, red bumps often appear on different parts of the body. They are symptoms of nervous allergy (or nervous urticaria), a type of dermatitis associated with an emotional state. In addition, swelling, intense itching, and burning are also common symptoms.

While it is possible to treat allergies with medications, the origin of this exaggerated reaction in our body is not so simple to identify and solve. Psychological follow-up, in this case, is recommended to prevent the allergy from becoming an unpleasant constant.

7. You Have An Easy Time Getting Sick

Stress can damage your immune system, causing you to get the flu all the time. You barely get over one when you’re hit by another cold. A weak immune system causes fever, nausea, chills, dry eyes, vomiting, and makes the body more susceptible to infections and illness.

8. Your Gut Doesn’t Let Up

Even taking care of food, you can’t beat constipation. Sometimes, without warning, he also has episodes of stomach pain and diarrhea. Your belly is always bloated, making the simple act of sitting uncomfortable.

Gastritis, constipation, and diarrhea can also be caused by excessive stress. That is, people who are stressed are more likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory diseases, and a lack of treatment can exacerbate these conditions and make them difficult to treat.

9. Loss of Hair

Have you noticed that strands of hair are spreading across the floor of your house and almost turning into tufts? Stress also causes hair loss as it increases inflammation and oiliness in the hair region. In this way, blood circulation is compromised and the wires have difficulty staying on the scalp. Try to see if, after periods of greater stress, more hairs fall out.