Are you feeling a little drained lately? Lacking motivation and reacting to small irritants in ways you do not expect?
These Are All Signs Of Stress
I was in the grocery store a few days ago and observed an elderly woman yelling at another woman about physical distance, everyone is on edge this year because of external influences outside of our control.
We are designed to handle a certain amount of stress and we have basic human reactions built into to each of us that allow us to react to stressful situations. Some of these reactions occur to keep us safe and not all stress is bad.
We all have our limits, and each of us is unique. There are times when our levels of stress can build up and be prolonged and we continue to cope with life not even knowing that our ambient level of stress is creeping up to our limit.
Then something small happens that tips us over the edge. It can be the slightest thing that at normal times would not be a concern to us and after the dust settles a person can often be left puzzling over why they reacted that way in that situation. Still we may not realize that we are stressed.
I believe it is impossible for anyone right now to be handling all aspects of life without stress. Our world has been turned upside down and we have been facing traumatic events, likely made worse by overreaction in media and the constant assault of bad news. There are likely people dealing with critical incident stress from some of the events in our world this year.
It Is Time To Check In With You, with Self
Here are some signs and symptoms of stress:
Fatigue/exhaustion, chest pains (get help immediately for this one), muscle aches and pains, frequent colds, muscle tension
Difficulty sleeping, distressing dreams, confusion, memory loss, disorientation, poor decision making
Anger, denial, fear, anxiety, guilt, giving up, negative self-talk, moodiness
Loss of appetite or eating a lot more than you normally would, outbursts, withdrawal, increased drug/alcohol use, excessive humor or silence
I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.
Steve Maraboli
How Can You Interrupt The Stress Cycle?
Disconnect from media and your technology for a break, connect with nature. Take your shoes off and get your feet in direct contact with our planet. Bury your feet in the sand and listen to the waves. Breathe. Or, because its fall and we can, go play in the crisp autumn leaves.
Some of our ways of reducing stress have been interrupted and taken away from us this year.
Taking time for yourself may not be possible or connecting with family if you have been alone may also be out of reach. As much as we need family and friends right now, they may also be stressed and having a difficult time doing the things they normally do to help others. If you recognize that you are dealing with a high level of stress and have taken steps to manage it on your own but are not seeing a positive result it may be time to ask for help.
Sometimes the things causing us stress are under our control, this year there are many events occurring that have affected us that are outside of our control, but we still must look out for our personal wellbeing.
These stressors and symptoms can be made worse if you are a giver, or caregiver, helping others. When you are helping others, it is more critical that you care for yourself to prevent development of long-term issues and enable you to continue to provide that care.
You need your health and resilience now. Give yourself the permission, time and space you need to take care of you.
May you have a relaxing and heartwarming Thanksgiving!
Additionally, all of our posts in the True Best Self Series can be found here.
Finally, more great relaxing content can be discovered on our Youtube channel.
