Physical
symptoms of stress include
a pounding heart, an upset stomach, rapid pulse, cold hands, dry mouth,
unexpected perspiration, skin rashes, diarrhea, insomnia, recurrent colds,
headaches, fatigue, and muscle tension. Emotional symptoms of stress include
anger, frustration, worry, fear, panic, anxiety and depression. Behavioural
symptoms of stress include drinking, smoking, overeating and
under-eating, toe-tapping, fast talking and engaging in high risk behaviours.
Keep a journal of your stress symptoms.
One way to get to the root of your stress-related problems is to keep a log of
all the times you experience any of the above symptoms. Jot down pertinent
information such as: Who were you with? What were you doing? And on a scale of
one to ten, how strong were the symptoms? Once you begin to track your
symptoms, you may uncover a particular person, place or thing that is causing
them. You’ll begin to connect the dots between your symptoms of stress and your
sources of stress.
Believe it or not, most people never take the time to keep track of their
stress.
There are certain situations where it’s normal for you to feel stress symptoms:
like the first time you are in charge of an important meeting, your first day on
a new job, or the first time you try a challenging sport, like skiing or
surfing. These are all examples of situations where it’s quite normal to feel
nervous or stressed. As you grow more and more accustomed to these activities
your stress symptoms usually begin to fade.
But what if your stress symptoms never seem to fade?
That’s when you know it’s time to make a change. Situations like dealing with a
difficult boss, or dealing with difficult customers, or dealing with a boatload
of financial pressure can lead you down the road to health problems. The trick
is to seek solutions to these problems before your stress symptoms lead to
stress-related DIS-EASE. And by keeping track of these symptoms for at least a
week, preferably two, you will see which of your recurring stressors are
causing you the most problems.
As the result of your own observations you may decide to cut back on overtime,
request a meeting with HR to get help with a difficult boss, or hand off an
annoying task or client to someone else who doesn’t mind it so much. Any
stressor, if it bothers you enough, for long enough, can lead to health
difficulties. Once you know what these stressors are, you’re halfway home to
finding a solution. That’s why keeping track of your stress for at least a week,
preferably two, is so important.
Things you can do about your Stress Symptoms
- Make a list of stress
symptoms.
Notice when and where you experience any of these symptoms over the next week. - Try to establish a link.
Notice when your symptoms occur and try to establish a link between the symptom and who or what might be causing them. - Breathe deeply.
Whenever you feel any stress symptoms, breathe deeply. - Stress often starts in your
mind and it can end there too.
Don’t let yourself dwell on stressful thoughts. Consciously substitute a more pleasant thought. - Don’t sweat the small stuff.
For Digital Stress Management programs see: https://eapassist.com.au/digital/