Top Physical Symptoms of Stress

Physical Symptoms of Stress

You are in a busy parking lot with your kids. One of them gets away from you and darts out into the danger zone. Your stress levels spike and you leap into action. You are able to quickly wrangle the wild one and get them out of harms way in the nick of time. 

This small amount of stress is a good thing for us to experience. Brief periods of stress can boost cognitive function. Stress responses help your body adjust to new situations. When starting a new job a certain level of stress can boost productivity.  Too much stress however can begin to wreak havoc on the body if it goes too long without being addressed. 

If you are under an enormous amount of pressure either from work or school or family life at home or all of the above plus anything else you can throw into the mix then you really do need to know the dangers of stress and learn how to deal with it as soon as possible.

Physical symptoms of stress include:

• Low energy
• Headaches
• Upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation, and nausea
• Aches, pains, and tense muscles
• Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
• Insomnia
• Frequent colds and infections
• Loss of sexual desire and/or ability
• Nervousness and shaking, ringing in the ears, and cold or sweaty hands and feet
• Dry mouth and a hard time swallowing
• Clenched jaw and grinding teeth

You may also find that you get sick more often. This is because prolonged exposure to stressful situations can deplete your immune system and leave you with nothing to fight off even the most common germs that bombard us every single day.

Prolonged exposure to stressful situations can also have an effect on the one thing that keeps us all going every single day of our lives, our heart. 

If you have been under an increased amount of stress lately and have noticed any of these symptoms, you should get to your doctor as soon as you can and get a physical.

Emotional symptoms of stress include:

• Becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody
• Feeling overwhelmed, as if you are losing control or need to take control
• Having a hard time relaxing and quieting your mind
• Feeling bad about yourself (low self-esteem), and feeling lonely, worthless, and depressed
• Avoiding others

Maybe you just need to have a conversation with someone. You may be surprised how talking to a friend or a coach can alleviate many of these symptoms. Never underestimate what a good friend and a cup of coffee can do for you.

Since we all know that stressful situations are dangerous and bad for us and finding ways to deal with our stress after the fact can be difficult, we should learn techniques to deal with things as they come and eliminate the possibility that it will cause future health problems.

There are numerous methods that can teach you how to reduce the amount of tension you feel in your life, some as simple as relaxing in a nice, hot bath or taking a walk.

Just being out in nature is said to be a huge stress reliever. If you have access to a nature preserve or state park, take the family on a nature walk, or go by yourself. Breathe the air and watch the birds and animals all around you. You will feel a lot better in the end.