Have you ever had your check engine light come on in your car? When you see that glowing light, immediately you know something needs attention. How often are you out of touch with your own body’s warning signs though? If you are experiencing anxiety or you are overwhelmed with worry, you could be prone to overlook what’s going on and be disconnected from yourself. You may ignore a wide range of symptoms that surface when under stress. For instance, physically you may experience:
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Nervous Stomach
- Tight muscles
- Cold hands
- Diarrhea
When we are under stress, we may push ourselves even more with no intention of slowing down until we reach exhaustion, burnout, or illness.
When Our Stress Becomes Chronic
Over time our stress may escalate to a chronic level. We may develop panic attacks, depression, mood swings or a combination of all three. We might develop ulcers, hypertension, headaches, or other illness due to a stress on our immune system.
- When we are stressed, we want to relief.
- When we are stressed, we want to feel pleasure.
- When we are stressed, we want a way out.
For many, that way out involves engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as overeating in the form of unhealthy foods with high sugar content or over consuming alcohol with high sugar content.
The result? We interfere with our sleep and gut biome producing more stress and dysregulation of serotonin resulting in feelings of sadness, depression, and fatigue.
The cycle can take away from your life.
How Can You Handle Stress in a More Beneficial Way?
Two things are important:
- Recognize your symptoms of stress.
- Make a decision to not ignore the symptoms.
Here are few things you can add to your toolbox for dealing with stress:
- Breathing and relaxation
- Work with a therapist or a coach
- Regular Exercise
- Sleep Hygiene
- Social Support
- Humor
- Lower alcohol consumption
- Mind your thoughts
- Acceptance
- Recognize when you are eating to feed your emotions, not your hunger
- Cultivate a healthy spirituality
Identify the steps you’d like to take in the following week to help you better deal with stress.
Take a few minutes to map out a strategy/process that will help increase your resilience. If you actually write it out, you increase your likelihood of following through.
To find out other sneaky ways that your stress may be harming your health and more ways to help, download our Stress Guide here: https://bit.ly/3KP8khm
Some individuals have found they benefit from coaching and accountability. If you are ready to overcome the stress leading you to stay in the negative cycle of overwhelm so that you can feel better physically and emotionally, reach out to us here: https://triwellbeing.com/contact/
We’ll set up a free Discovery Call to explore how we can work together.
And remember, if it is good for you, it is good for life!
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