Youre Experiencing Headaches Or Stomach Aches
Headaches and digestive issues are commonly related to stress, and theres actually a lot of science behind this! When we get really stressed, our bodies can perceive that as danger and activate our fight or flight response. This response produces adrenaline, causes our heart race, and our bodies to shake. It can even slow down our digestion and restrict our blood vessels. As a result, we get headaches, stomach aches, and end up feeling exhausted.
What to do about it: Practicing mindfulness has really helped me relax before I get to the point of headaches and stomach aches. Check out: What is Mindfulness +7 Easy Ways to Practice it Daily
Who Is Affected By Stress
All of us can probably recognise some of the feelings described above. Some people seem to be more affected by stress than others. For some people, getting out of the door on time each morning can be a very stressful experience, whereas others may be less affected with a great deal of pressure.
Some people are more likely to experience stressful situations than others. For example:
- people with a lot of debt or financial insecurity are more likely to be stressed about money
- people from minority ethnic groups or who are LGBTQIA+ are more likely to be stressed about prejudice or discrimination
- people with disabilities or long-term health conditions are more likely to be stressed about their health or about stigma associated with their condition.
What Can Be Done To Help
Luckily, it’s becoming more recognised now, more than ever before, that self-care should be an essential part of our daily routines. By taking some down-time, doing things you enjoy and immersing yourself in some relaxing activities, even for as little as for 10 minutes each day, you could help to limit the effects stress could ultimately have on your system. Again, passiflora is a lovely herb to add to your self-care regimes.Then when it comes to immune health, herbal remedies can also be a useful addition to help ward off any potential ill-effects of stress, should they occur, with echinacea being particularly relevant.Echinaforce echinacea is a traditional herbal remedy which can be taken at the first signs of infection, whilst also helping to support your immune system by maintaining your body’s resistance.
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When Should I See My Doctor
If you or someone close to you is experiencing an emergency, or is at risk of immediate harm, call triple zero . To talk to someone now, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
If you have tried relaxation techniques and reaching out to someone you trust, but still feel overwhelmed, you can check in with your doctor or speak with a mental health professional.
Stress is not itself a diagnosis but rather a clue that something else is going on. Chronic stress could be a sign of depression, anxiety or a symptom of another mental health condition. GPs and psychologists are trained to know how to recognise when stress is a sign that you need extra support, so dont hesitate to reach out for advice.
Anxiety Disorder Causes And Risk Factors
When you experience the anxiety symptoms above, you will probably begin to wonder about the reasons for anxiety. While there is no single cause that explains every case of anxiety, some risk factors can lead to the development of anxiety disorders.
Some of the causes and risk factors for anxiety disorders include:
- History of trauma
- Chemical imbalances from ongoing stress
- Certain personality factors
- The stress that comes with chronic health conditions like cancer or heart disease
- Drug or alcohol abuse
Related Reading: What is Relationship Anxiety and How can you Deal with it?
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Weird Signs Youre Stressed Out
Senior Wellness & Travel Editor, HuffPost
Stress manifests in a multitude of ways. Some of them are emotional symptoms, like moodiness and irritability, and others may mask themselves as physical issues.
The problem with this physiological phenomenon is that you may simply chalk these issues up as something harmless. Not only that, data shows stress is continually on the rise, making the problem more of a byproduct of everyday life rather than a health complication that needs to be controlled. But there are major consequences if you dont address your stress: It can lead to heart problems, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms and more.
Needless to say, its important to determine whether youre experiencing issues with your emotional health. Cant tell if youre feeling high-strung or not? Here are some of the ways your body may be telling you that youre stressed:
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Stress And Anxiety Quiz
Answer the questions as honestly as possible there are no right or wrong answers. The last five questions are about you, and theyll be used by our research team to better understand how stress relates to factors like marriage and employment. When youre done, youll get your score, along with resources for combating stress.
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How To Calm A Stressed Dog Down
Dog owners should also reflect on their own behavior to see how they might be contributing to the stress. Some ways owners might make their dogs stressed include not giving clear commands, staring directly at them, or punishing them unnecessarily.
The best way to calm your dog down is to identify what is stressing them, then eliminate the trigger. Alternatively, work with a professional trainer or your veterinarian to reduce their response to the trigger.
Sometimes its as easy as blocking off an area where your dog can eat while no one bothers them. Or, teaching children how to respect your dog appropriately. If you know your dog gets stressed out about specific events, like a car ride or fireworks on the Fourth of July, there are some specific ways to ease that anxiety.
The bottom line? Start paying attention to your dogs body language and youll be able to read their stress signals and reduce their anxiety in no time.
You Cannot Control Your Worrying
With anxiety disorders, worrying is excessive, meaning that you dont just worry about stressful events, like an upcoming exam or presentation. Instead, you constantly worry, and the worry is out of proportion to the present threat. For example, you may worry about the worst possible scenario in every situation.
For people suffering from anxiety, worrying seems to be out of control. Anxious thoughts can become quite intrusive so that a person cannot stop them, even if they find the thoughts to be upsetting.
Related Reading:How to Stop Overthinking in a Relationship
Read Also: How Can You Tell If Your Stressed
Signs You Could Be Stressed Without Realising It
With the year we’ve had, it’s not surprising that more of us are feeling a bit stressed. However, even if you’re not so aware of being overly stressed, there could still be some tell-tale signs that you’re slightly more stressed than you even realise, including:
Here I go into these areas in a bit more detail, explaining how stress could potentially be having an influence, and offering some suggestions to help.
Types Of Chronic Stress
- Emotional stress
- Environmental stress
- Relationship stress
- Work stress
In many instances, these types of stresses affect multiple domains in a person’s life. Work stress can create stress in your relationships. Relationship stress can make it more difficult to manage difficult emotions.
For example, if your family is struggling financially or with a severe illness, the stress can become chronic. Someone in your home may not be able to work, bills are piling up and your home is nearing foreclosure, and this can leave you stressed for months or even a year or more.
Your constant worry wears down your body, making you feel tired and anxious. You may be working harder than ever to make ends meet and make unhealthy choices about food and exercise, which can make you feel even worse. This can lead to a number of significant health concerns.
We can also have chronic stress related to work. Many jobs require a lot from us, and it can often feel like you never get a break or are always under pressure to perform.
Working overtime, constant travel, and high-pressure business relations can keep your body in a constant state of excitement, even when you get home to your family. This can also add to the wear and tear on your body, and continuous stress can contribute to serious health issues like heart disease.
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Your Skin Is Breaking Out
Whilst there are many possible reasons for skin flare-ups, including hormones, the use of topical products and wearing masks, stress could also be a possible underlying contributing factor.Stress can influence the balance of your hormones, for example, including the sex hormones including oestrogen and testosterone which have a direct impact on our skin. Also, as your internal stress response becomes more active, processes that would normally help to protect areas of the body, including the integrity and health of our skin, also diminish. Unfortunately, these are considered as ‘non-essential’ in crisis-type situations.
Signs And Symptoms Of Stress
Stress can affect our emotions, our body and how we behave, in lots of different ways. Sometimes when we are stressed, we might be able to tell right away. But at other times, we might keep going without recognising the signs.
This page covers some of the common signs and symptoms:
It was quite a revelation to notice my frantically beating heart, racing thoughts, hyperactive personality and behaviours all resulted from being massively and permanently stressed out.
Read Also: What To Do When You Are Very Stressed
Stress Symptoms: Effects On Your Body And Behavior
If youre not sure if stress is the cause or if youve taken steps to control your stress but your symptoms continue, see your doctor. Your healthcare provider may want to check for other potential causes. Or consider seeing a professional counselor or therapist, who can help you identify sources of your stress and learn new coping tools.
When Should I Talk To A Doctor About Stress
You should seek medical attention if you feel overwhelmed, if you are using drugs or alcohol to cope, or if you have thoughts about hurting yourself. Your primary care provider can help by offering advice, prescribing medicine or referring you to a therapist.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Its natural and normal to be stressed sometimes. But long-term stress can cause physical symptoms, emotional symptoms and unhealthy behaviors. Try relieving and managing stress using a few simple strategies. But if you feel overwhelmed, talk to your doctor.
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What Are Some Ways To Prevent Stress
Many daily strategies can help you keep stress at bay:
- Try relaxation activities, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, breathing exercises and muscle relaxation. Programs are available online, in smartphone apps, and at many gyms and community centers.
- Take good care of your body each day. Eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep help your body handle stress much better.
- Stay positive and practice gratitude, acknowledging the good parts of your day or life.
- Accept that you cant control everything. Find ways to let go of worry about situations you cannot change.
- Learn to say no to additional responsibilities when you are too busy or stressed.
- Stay connected with people who keep you calm, make you happy, provide emotional support and help you with practical things. A friend, family member or neighbor can become a good listener or share responsibilities so that stress doesnt become overwhelming.
Your Immune System Is Suffering
Particularly pertinent right now, stress can also cannibalise your immune functions. I was fascinated to learn, as highlighted in research, that almost all our immune cells have receptors for stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline.2 This means that having increasing levels of stress hormones in your system could ultimately modulate how our immune cells are working. It also risks upsetting the quality or quantity of immune cells being produced at any one time.2Again, this relationship stems back to evolutionary times when, during times of stress, our immune cells would be down-regulated to make room for other vital bodily processes to keep us alive in the moment.
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Signs You Might Be Too Stressed
Everyone gets stressed from time to time, but when is it time to speak to a doctor about it?
While experts say that a little stress is OK it can actually be beneficial in some situations chronic stress can be bad for both your mental and physical health.
As today marks the start of International Stress Awareness Week, we asked experts to share the signs that you might want to get the issue checked out with your GP.
1. Youre always in a bad mood
Constantly find yourself snapping at your other half? When youre stressed, your body releases stress hormones including cortisol, says Pablo Vandenabeele, clinical director for mental health at Bupa.
These hormones can affect your mood and energy levels. As a result, you may feel more irritable or worried than usual, or you might find that you struggle to concentrate or make decisions.
2. Youre not sleeping properly
Stress can disrupt normal sleeping patterns in different ways, says Vandenabeele.
Some find theyre constantly tired and want to sleep as much as possible, while others struggle to fall asleep and wake up during the night thinking about the things that are causing them stress.
If you notice your sleep has changed, it might be a sign to book a doctors appointment.
3. Changes to your sex drive
As Earim Chaudry, medical director at mens wellness platform, Manual explains: Stress can have some serious adverse effects on both your happiness and your libido.
What Causes Axolotl Stress
There are many things to consider when you have a stressed axolotl. One of the most common factors is if you have a filter in your tank, and the filter creates strong currents that cause axolotl stress.
Axolotls prefer to live in habitats with slow moving water and spend time at the bottom of the tank. If the tank has a strong current, the axolotl cannot swim calmly, and stresses them out.
You can add decorations from the tank such as rocks, large ornaments, live plants, to reduce the filters current. Or you can set the filter so that it doesnt make the current too heavy.
In addition, axolotls can also be stressed due to inappropriate temperatures. Axolotl can only stay at cool temperature and not more than 22°C. They will overheat if the tank temperature is higher than that, and stress them out. If left too long, axolotl can get heat stroke.
You can provide an aquarium fan or water chiller so that the axolotl tank remains below 22°C. These two things happen most often, and you should always pay attention to the temperature in the tank or the water current.
Axolotls can also be stressed because there are other living things in the tank such as fish. Even axolotls can be annoyed by the presence of other axolotls in the same tank. If there is an axolotl with a larger size, it will disturb the smaller one, causing stress on the smaller axolotl.
They will be more aggressive because of their predatory nature when there are fish or axolotls with a smaller size than them.
Read Also: How To Control Anger And Stress
Recognize When You Need More Help
If you are struggling to cope, or the symptoms of your stress or anxiety wont go away, it may be time to talk to a professional. Psychotherapy and medication are the two main treatments for anxiety, and many people benefit from a combination of the two.
If you are in immediate distress or are thinking about hurting yourself, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free at 1-800-273-TALK . You also can text the Crisis Text Line or use the Lifeline Chat on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website.
If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Read more about getting help.
You Struggle Feeling Motivated To Do Daily Tasks
When youre life is stressful, feeling the motivation to do daily tasks can feel really hard. Clean your house? Go grocery shopping and do cooking? Workout and study? These things that require effort can feel impossible. You might feel too sluggish, too tired, or too busy to find the motivation to take action.
What to do about it: Create time in your schedule for one small step toward your goal. It should be both manageable and realistic. . Another idea is to find an accountability partner to help keep you on track.
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How To Tell If The Symptoms You Are Feeling Are Due To Stress Or Something Else And When You Should See Your Doctor
When you notice yourself experiencing more symptoms of stress more often, its a good time to focus on self-care, Dossett says. Remember, self-care is everything you do to take care of your health and well-being. It can be making time for a yoga class, taking a walk in nature, focusing on getting more sleep, or connecting with a close friend, among many other things.
If focusing on self-care doesnt help , talk to your doctor about stress, Dossett says. Your doctor can help identify underlying health issues that may be contributing, or help you create a self-care routine that better helps you manage the stressors in your life .
Whether or not youre stressed, its smart to see your primary care physician once a year for a complete exam, including a check of blood pressure, heart rate, weight, cholesterol, and possibly thyroid hormones. Stress and symptoms of stress youre experiencing should be part of that conversation. Stress symptoms can be signs of other significant health issues.
When women have heart palpitations, doctors are more likely to think that theyre either experiencing stress or anxiety, or that theyre hysterical in some way. As a result, women tend to be underdiagnosed with heart disease, says Dr. Haythe. And this happens despite the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States.
