About Stress: Knowing Your Signs

Warning Signs of Stress: Your Body is Talking to You! Are You Listening?

At the end of your workday, you drag yourself home. Maybe on the way, cramming in some errands or obligations. Finally home, there are other chores: mail to sort through, phone calls to make, etc. After dinner, to relax and unwind, you decide to watch TV or muddle through the evening until bedtime. You can't seem to get enough restful sleep. The alarm rings. Before you know it, another day begins, leaving you as tired as you were the previous day. Does this routine sound familiar?

In addition to your fatigue, you may have experienced muscle and body aches. Perhaps you may have changed jobs, moved into a new area or experienced other major life changes recently. If so, you may not even be aware that your body is crying for relief from stress.

How much stress is too much? When does stress begin to jeopardize your health?

Your body, behavior and feelings often can provide you with important clues. To assess your stress level, go through the four checklists below. The checklists will help you decide whether stress is damaging your health.

Listening to Your Body

Think of the last stressful event in your life. It can be something small: being stuck in traffic, rushing to do something, or having a minor disagreement with someone. Your heart rate and breathing may quicken, and your muscles may feel tense. You may react emotionally to the situation. When the stressful event is over, your body's stress signs go away, and you eventually calm down.

Some stress symptoms don't immediately go away, however. Depending on the intensity of your stress, you may experience an upset stomach, headache or muscle tension long after the event. These lingering symptoms can be useful in indicating the level of stress your body is under. Please read through the following questions to check for physical signs of stress.

COMMON PHYSICAL SIGNS OF STRESS

• Do you experience nervous tics or muscles spasms frequently? Do you find your eyelids twitching, your fingers picking at one another, or your hands rubbing parts of your body repetitively?
• Do you often clear your throat? Do you sneeze a lot, or get sniffles and runny noses frequently? Do you get colds often?
• Do you find yourself short of breath or breathing shallowly? Does your mouth go dry in anticipation of events?
• Do you experience pain in your lower back, chest, shoulder, or in the joints or other parts of your body?
• Do you experience abdominal pains? Do you frequently get indigestion or upset stomach? Do you frequently feel bloated or pass gas?
• Does your skin itch for no reason, or do you find yourself scratching a lot?
• When you sit, is your posture slumped? Do you sit with your arms crossed tightly as you talk to people? Do you drag your feet when you walk?
• In traffic, do you find yourself clutching the steering wheel?
• Does standing in line put you on edge?
• Do you startle easily in response to noises or sudden motion? Do you get tension headaches?

If you answered "yes" to some or many of these questions, you may be under a lot of stress and need to find ways to reduce your stress. Also, consider the intensity and duration of your stress symptoms. If the symptoms are strong or persistent, stress may be damaging your health. Negative stress over a long period can exhaust your body’s supply of energy and nutrients, making you more vulnerable to infections and illnesses. You should consider the role that stress plays in your life. But don't panic! An increased awareness of your stress can motivate you to take positive steps in the right direction.

If you answered "yes" to many of the previous questions, please answer the following set of questions:

MORE SEVERE SIGNS OF STRESS

• Do you have hypertension, ulcers, heart disease, or emphysema?
• Do you suffer from ulcerative colitis, spastic colon or hemorrhoids?
• Do you get recurrent infections, perhaps in your sinuses, or other areas such as respiratory, genital or urinary tracts?
• Do you have acne as an adult—or dermatitis, eczema, or some other recurrent, unexplained rashes?
• Do you have debilitating lower back pain? Or migraine headaches?

Like the first group of questions, these conditions are physical signs of stress. Through such symptoms and illnesses, your body is sending a powerful message to you. Pay attention to it! Your body acts as a mirror, reflecting the stresses it is subjected to. One of the first steps toward real stress control is learning to pay attention to what your body is telling you. By making simple lifestyle changes and improving your stress coping skills, you may be able to prevent or bring stress-related disorders under control.