Are Your Stress Levels Too High
Did you know that being exposed to stress every day can take a huge toll on your emotional wellbeing
It can easily impact your overall mood, sleeping cycle, hunger, appetite, food choices, menstruation cycle and energy level. Stress by itself, for many people, can be something electrifying, consequently they can perform better under pressure and stress, but there is the other side of the stick we must look at.
Many people can’t really deal with pressure or stress. Their performance can drop, they may become anxious, irritable and they tend to develop symptoms that can manifest on a physical and mental level too.
Here are 3 common symptoms of emotional stress and exhaustion that may be something to look out for in the future.
As soon as you experience any of these symptoms, take a step back and reflect on how to improve your overall health and if necessary, ask for professional help.
3 Warning Signs you are Emotionally Exhausted
1. Racing Thoughts or Constant Worry
Have you ever had those days and nights when your thoughts were just constantly racing, and you couldn’t stop worrying about the next days/steps? What will happen if you can’t finish this or that? The feeling that you can’t stop otherwise everything will collapse.
You may have had some very bad night sleeps too where you just couldn’t fall asleep, or you kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking about what you should / shouldn’t do. Maybe you've started creating a list of the things you must finish that day or week. This is a very common sign in our racing world and fast paced lifestyle. It can mean that you have too much on your plate and you haven’t given time for yourself to switch your mind off and spend some moments in silence.
2. Irratability
Has your mood changed recently? Have you noticed that you are snappier and less patient with everything and everybody around you? You may feel more irritated at work and home as well and it’s somehow harder to be chilled or relaxed. Does it feel like everyone and everything is against you, and it seems like everyone wants to annoy you deliberately and no-one can really understand how stressed you are.
You are not alone! So many people are feeling this way especially after COVID. There is a lot to deal with and you have to be everywhere, do everything and be everything in 1 person. How stressful is this? We are here to tell you, that your feelings are completely valid. Our questions for you though, is how long can you keep going like this? How many people have you hurt with your words involuntarily? How could your life look like without this raging emotions? Reflect on these and ask for help if needed to be more aligned with your values.
3. Increase/Loss Of Appetite
There is a lot of truth behind the phrase "stress eating." What really happens in our body when we are under stress?
Stress triggers certain hormones, mainly cortisol, which will immediately signal the sudden need of high-fat, sugary "comfort foods" to our brain. Food is very comforting, and emotional! It’s fast, effective (for a couple of minutes), accessible, although it can easily push people toward overeating. Overeating will then trigger feelings of guilt, shame and embarrassment for eating this much, losing control, and not being disciplined enough. This narrative can spiral even further which will push the stress button and the whole cycle starts again from the beginning. Very toxic.
In the short term, though, stress can shut down appetite. Many people report a loss of appetite over stressful times. The reason behind this is that the nervous system sends messages to the adrenal glands atop the kidneys to pump out the hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline). Epinephrine helps trigger the body's fight-or-flight response, a revved-up physiological state that temporarily puts eating on hold. Pretty fascinating, isn’t it? Is it sustainable to live without food or cope with stress and pressure without fuel?
Stress is not our best friend! It can cause a lot of negative symptoms in our lives, but it doesn’t have to be this way. You have the choice to make a change and start to build habits that could serve YOU and bring balance in your life.
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