Being irritated, brooding, not being able to think clearly, … these are all consequences of stress. Anyone who says that he/she never has stress is probably lying. Stress is completely normal and everyone experiences it from the mildest to the most extreme forms.
What is stress?
Stress is actually a tension and a kind of survival mechanism that you experience. That tension increases your alertness, your ability to concentrate increases and you prepare your body to take action, namely by fighting or fleeing. Your heart beats faster, you have a faster breathing and pulse, your muscles tense and adrenaline is released into the blood.
In addition to the hormone adrenaline, your body also produces the stress hormone cortisol, if the danger is not gone in the short term. Cortisol ensures that you can better deal with a stressful situation, but a high cortisol level can have a negative effect on your health. You can also experience feelings of defeat and listlessness, because that is also a form of stress.
In healthy situations, stress is short-lived and your body needs time to recover afterwards. It is only when you experience stress in the long term that it can give you physical and mental health problems and that it controls your life. People tend to quickly ignore these complaints and continue with their lives, but that is not how it works. Ultimately, many people end up in a vicious circle with stress or burnout as a result.
Which symptoms and signals indicate stress?
Stress can be accompanied by various complaints. Here is an overview of the most common complaints:
Physical complaints
- Headache
- Sleep problems
- Muscle pain
- Palpitations
- Pressure on chest
- Incorrect breathing
- Feeling tired and listless
- Stomach and intestinal disorders
- Nervous twitches
Mental complaints
- To be irritated
- crying fits
- Feeling tense and restless
- Gloomy and pessimistic thinking
- Absent-minded and forgetful
- Concentration problems
- Worrying
Changes in behavior
- Eating too much or too little
- Make you commit to bad habits: medication, alcohol and smoking
- Lower libido
- Being constantly tense
- No energy
What events can cause stress?
Everyone experiences a certain amount of stress in a different way. While one person has a lot of stress to give a presentation, another can control himself well. This has to do with your carrying capacity and the load of the amount of stress. Suppose you are someone with a high carrying capacity, then you will be able to control stressful situations better than someone with a low carrying capacity.
Any situation can cause stress:
- Positive events such as a family celebration, a baptism and a wedding
- Negative stress situations such as the death of a loved one and poor health
- Everyday situations such as traffic jams, disturbing noises and long queues
Try to manage your stress
Stress has a great influence on our lives and can take over our body and mind if we do not intervene in time. Healthy stress exists, but bad forms of stress certainly exist. Many people suffer from stress. Try to stay calm, write down why you experience stress and try to tackle the problem. Rhodiola is a plant that can help you manage your stress.
