Stress is a silent killer. It affects many of us, and a lot of the time, we don’t even know the extremes of what it is doing to our bodies. Stress can come in all forms. From gut health to being lethargic, you can sometimes see in actual time what stress and anxiety may be doing to your body. Unmanaged stress (and chronic stress) creates a huge strain on our bodies, contributing to long-term consequences to our mental, cardiovascular, and mental health. We have come up with a list of signs that you may have chronic stress. Plus, we are sharing how you can fix them.
4 Signs You May Have Chronic Stress
Are you constantly feeling pain or pressure on your lower and upper back?
If you don’t think you have an injury but find that you have low back or shoulder issues, then it might be related to stress. Chronic stress causes muscles to be constantly guarded, leading to tension and pain if there’s no conscious release to relax the muscles.
Are you short of breath?
Did you know that stress and your respiratory system are directly linked to each other? You could otherwise be totally healthy, but if you are having trouble breathing, it could be because you need to relax more.
Do you find your head hurts often, even in the slightest?
We touched on back and shoulder pain, but stress can also show itself through the head. Headaches are definitely caused by stress. Stress can creep itself up from the neck and into the head. Next time you have a headache, think about what environmental things you are going through and see if they could be a culprit.
Are you feeling depressed or more than usual?
Studies have shown that stress can definitely lead to depression or make it worse. They have found in these studies that higher levels of stress were present in those that were feeling depressed.
Stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to many health problems. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can help you manage them, and we can empower our bodies to overcome stress.
Here are Ways to Release Stress
- Get outside and soak up some VItamin D.
- Get active; if it is outside, even better. Physically moving your body can have an enormous effect. Even if it is taking a walk around the block or neighborhood.
- Laugh more. Hey, even if you need to treat yourself to a comedy show, try and add in more laughter. Try searching for your favorite uplifting shows or a new comedy on your favorite streaming service.
- Connect with others.
- Try yoga or adding meditation into your day.
- Get enough sleep. This one is crucial. Sleep can do so many restorative things for our bodies.
- Keep a journal as a way to get stress out of your body and write down what you are thankful for.
