Symptoms of Stress

At times, stress seems to bombard you at every turn. Work, home, family, relationships and money can all contribute to feelings of stress. For most of us, these factors will occasionally combine to result in negative physical or mental effects on the body. In fact, approximately half of all individuals currently suffer from an emotional disorder that stems from excessive stress.

With so many people being negatively affected by stress, it's no surprise that stress management and stress reduction techniques are routinely sought out by thousands of individuals each day. Before learning how to deal with stress, however, it is important to understand what stress is and how to identify symptoms so you can properly cope and avoid drifting into that mental funk before it takes hold. The Midwest Center's Attacking Anxiety & Depression Program exists to help you identify and cope with these symptoms by developing a stress management plan.

What is Stress?

Stress is a completely normal physical response to any event or occurrence that impresses pressures or danger upon your daily life. Your body's response to stress evolved as a way to remain alert and aware during times of physical danger. Because of this, stress can be very helpful for short time frames – it allows us to focus on the task at hand. However, when the pressures of stress fail to dissolve in a timely manner, long-term symptoms have a tendency to arise.

Early Symptoms of Stress

Stress is such a common part of everyday life that many people fail to recognize when it begins to adversely affect health. Simply by being self-aware and pinpointing early symptoms, you can often take steps to alleviate stress before it causes more detrimental and hazardous symptoms. Some of these early symptoms are physical, while others are emotional. Early physical symptoms of stress include:

• Headaches
• Problems with digestion
• Increase blood pressure
• Lowered sex drive
• Constantly feeling tired or worn out

Emotional and behavioral symptoms that may indicate the necessity to cope with stress include:

• Poor memory
• Poor concentration
• Pessimistic attitude
• Anxiety
• Mood swings
• Short temper
• Altered eating habits

Long-Term Symptoms of Stress

If stress continues long enough without proper management techniques, then symptoms will exacerbate and could lead to more long-term symptoms. Long-term symptoms associated with stress include:

• Constant aches and pains
• Increased susceptibility to colds and other viruses
• Depression
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Eczema and other skin conditions
• Hair loss
• Ulcers
• Tooth and gum disease

Achieving Proper Stress Management

Identifying the symptoms associated with stress is just the first step in learning how to manage problems related to physical and mental health. Once you have admitted that you are stressed out, the next logical step is finding ways to minimize and manage the stress. While it may seem impossible, even the busiest, most stressed out people can cope with stress. Short-term steps that can reduce the negative effects of stress include finding a strong support network that you can vent to, laugh with and share life experiences with as well as simply taking the time to relax at some points throughout the day. These strategies and more are developed and nurtured using The Midwest Center Attacking Anxiety & Depression Program. The program's aims are to help victims of stress identify and manage their stress symptoms, providing knowledge and techniques for dealing with stress & anxiety.