Here’s how your body is telling you that you’re stressed – and what to do about it
Each day brings new responsibilities and pressures, and it’s pretty common to feel stressed every now and then. But do you always recognize signs of stress?
“Stress and anxiety can be reflected in the body, and the symptoms each person experiences may vary,” says Dr. Chémely Pomales, a psychologist at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. “It’s important we pay attention to our bodies to recognize our personal signs of stress.”
Throbbing muscles, headaches, thirst, shedding hair, weight changes and forgetfulness are all signs that it might be time to decompress.
“Additional bodily signs of stress are intense or irregular heart palpitations and dizziness,” adds Dr. Pomales.
To help lower your stress level, Dr. Pomales suggests engaging in self-care activities, such as:
- Enjoying a warm bath
- Watching your favorite TV show
- Spending time with family and friends
- Taking time off from work or away from the stressful situation
“To decrease the likelihood of burnout or excessive stress, it’s a good idea to have a balance between responsibilities, fun and relaxation,” says Dr. Pomales. “This can be achieved by planning regular enjoyable outings either by yourself or with people you care about, eating healthy, keeping to a regular sleep schedule and ensuring you have time to exercise several times per week.”
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
well submitted. These are good points of reckoning for caregivers.
These are good points of reckoning for caregivers.
Another sign of stress is repeated yourself. 😉 yourself. 😉 yourself. 😉