There Are Many Signs of Stress

Some people don't realize they are stressed until it is too late and they are diagnosed with a life threatening disorder caused by stress, such as ulcers, high blood pressure, heart problems, high blood sugar, and hypertension. It is important to see signs of stress in yourself so that you can correct it.

Easy to Notice

These signs are the signs of stress that are easiest to notice, and usually the ones that are easy to fix.

You snap at your kids more than you used to and you spend less time with your family. You have a lot of headaches, your neck and back constantly hurt and you want to collapse when you come home. You skip family functions to get some alone time. You find that even small things are harder to do and find a small problem that usually wouldn't bother you now feels like a huge fiasco. You feel jittery like you just had a lot of caffeine, even when you didn't. You curse more than usual or yell repeatedly at the car in front of you even though you are normally even tempered in a traffic jam.

Harder to Notice

These signs of stress are a bit harder to link to stress. You may think something else is wrong with you. You may need professional help to solve the feelings that deeper stress causes. Deeply stressed people may develop health problems and even anxiety disorders, if gone unnoticed and unchecked.

You feel a deep depression when the alarm goes off in the morning and your gut wrenches or you feel physically ill when faced with certain tasks, like going to work, a meeting, or hosting a dinner party or family get-together. You would rather stay locked away in your house than go outside and face the world and want to be alone more than usual. You have developed a nervous habit like biting your nails, overeating, or tapping your foot. You have developed a nervous twitch. (Your friends or family may have to inform you of this one; you may not even notice it.) You regularly have an overwhelming sense of dread and want to sleep more than usual. You have the need to throw thing, punch people or objects (whether you would or not), or tear thing to shreds. You fantasize about tying up and gagging a co-worker or boss.

If you have several of these signs of stress it is important to make a change in your lifestyle, and if need be, get professional help.