Tuning into Your Behavior and Feelings

Do you find yourself getting more irritated or annoyed with other people? Do you feel depressed, or do you experience mood swings frequently? Perhaps you’re always rushing or hurrying to go some place or do something. Stress can upset your usual calm and sense of well-being, and your behavior and feelings can be good indicators of the level of stress your body is experiencing. To check for mental signs of stress, please answer the following questions:

MENTAL SIGNS OF STRESS

· Do you turn to smoking, drinking, overeating, other compulsive habits or addictive substances when under stress?

· Do you feel agitated? Do you walk faster? Talk and breathe faster? Do you have the urge to rush to where you are going? Do you find it frustrating to get caught in traffic or have to wait for an elevator?

· Have you changed any of your habits, for example: from being neat and well organized to becoming more untidy and disorganized? Or vice versa?

· Have your sleep, exercise, work routines, or habits changed?

· Do you have trouble keeping things straight in your mind or become confused about the details? Do you repeatedly think about certain things or worry a lot?

· Are you clinging to the same negative feeling, such as holding a grudge or being resentful?

· Do you have sudden outbursts of anger or joy?

· Is there a sharp change in your normal emotional behavior? Are you suddenly becoming depressed or hyperactive? Symptoms of depression may include a lack of energy, a loss of a sense of humor, a lack of smiling, and apathy that may last for days? Symptoms of hyperactivity may include euphoric, frenetic and probably, boisterous behavior.

If you answered, "yes" to some or many of these questions, chances are good that you are suffering from stress. This possibility is even stronger if you experience the physical signs of stress mentioned earlier. The number of stress signs and the intensity to which you experience them can give you ideas of how stressed you are.

But don’t get stressed! Get motivated! The more reasons you have for reducing stress, the more likely it is that you will be committed to reducing stress and succeeding! Obviously, motivation is important to learning any new skill and making lifestyle changes.