Stress….it’s everywhere. And pretty much everyone you meet is stressed out. We are bombarded by stress creating events each day. But we have become so accustomed to having an overabundance of stress in our lives that we’ve tuned out the warning signals that our bodies are sending us to let us know that we are not dealing with stress successfully.
Our bodies continuously give us feedback to let us know what we physically need to continue functioning. But in the fast paced, non-stop world of today, we no longer listen to our physical cues.
This disregard of the body’s unnatural exposure to stress is now being manifested in our lives by illness, emotional issues and behavioral problems.
When we fail to combat stress in our lives, it will eventually create physical symptoms such as:
- Pain-headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, neck and shoulder pain
- Heart problems-chest pain, heart disease, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat
- Gastrointestinal problems-stomach upset, nausea, diarrhea or constipation
- Sleep problems-insomnia or sleeping too much
- Decreased Immunity-problems with frequent colds, flu and other illnesses
- Skin disorders such as eczema and boils
- Autoimmune diseases
- Obesity
- Loss of sex drive
An overabundance of stress in your life can also create mental and emotional issues such as:
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Excessive worrying
- Irritability
- Anger
- Insecurity
- Depression
- Restlessness
- Sadness
- Lethargy
- Lack of Focus
- Burnout
- Memory problems-forgetfulness
- Poor judgement
- Racing thoughts
- Inability to concentrate
- Pessimism and negativity
And finally, being burdened with too much stress can be seen in behavioral issues such as:
- Addictions-Overeating, smoking, alcohol and drugs, pornography, gambling, video game, internet, shopping
- Anger-outbursts, road rage, fighting
- Nervous habits-nail biting, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, pacing
- Procrastinating and neglecting responsibility
- Overspending money
- Social isolation
- Sleeping too much or not enough
- Relationship conflicts