We’ve all had to deal with stress in our lives. It’s only natural because emergencies pop up, we have to deal with family issues, and there are always deadlines to chase at work.
The first step to managing our stress better is understanding that we are suffering from it. To that end, we’ve put together this post with ten signs you’re dealing with stress.
Let’s take a look.
2. You’re Easily Irritated
We all have our bad days. Sometimes, you might feel a bit more irritated than usual, and that isn’t a cause for concern. A single night of poor sleep can make us less patient and able to control our emotions (3). But, as with most things, patterns are what can reveal the truth.
If you’re generally a calm person but often find yourself irritated and lashing out at people around you, there is a good chance that you’re stressed out.
3. Your Heart Rate Is Irregular Or Sped Up
Many things can influence your heart rate. For example, an intense exercise session can boost your heart rate to way over 130 beats per minute. But that increase is temporary, and your heart rate should drop to normal within an hour or two after your session.
A sped-up or irregular heart rate, especially at rest, can indicate that your body is producing more cortisol and catecholamines, often resulting from too much stress (4).
4. Overthinking
Do you ever find yourself thinking about different things obsessively? For example, you know what tasks you need to complete today, but you often find yourself going back to specific thoughts of how to sequence the tasks, what exactly you need to do, and more?
There is nothing wrong with planning and thinking ahead. But if it gets to the point of obsession, you might find yourself uneasy and anxious, both of which are signs of stress.
5. You’re Having a Hard Time Recovering From Training
Your ability to recover from training will depend on factors such as your sex, age, fitness level, nutrition, sleep habits, and more. But, if you find that your recovery is dropping steadily, that could signify that you’re dealing with more stress than before (5). The reason is that stress can hinder your sleep, impair muscle protein synthesis, and reduce your body’s ability to repair itself (2, 6).
6. An Inability to Cope
Everyone has a unique ability to cope with stress (7). Some people are more resilient than others and find themselves better able to move forward, even in the face of tremendous stress and difficulties.
But, a good way to determine that you’re stressed is if you find it challenging to keep moving forward, even if you’re not dealing with more obstacles than you were before. For example, if you used to handle your job, schedule, and errands but struggle to do so now, it might be a sign that you’re dealing with cumulative stress.
7. You’re Suffering From Low Libido
Our reproductive system heavily relies on our overall health and well-being. We first have to take care of our basic needs (food, shelter, sleep, and safety) before we can feel at ease thinking about reproduction.
The problem with stress is that you might not necessarily be at immediate risk of losing one of your basic needs, but you still might experience loss of libido (8). One potential reason is that stress leads to elevated cortisol levels. The stress hormone can suppress sex hormones, resulting in lower sex drive and desire.
Another reason for the effect could be that stress can increase anxiety, making you feel overwhelmed and less able to relax.
8. You Often Feel Overwhelmed
Do you often go through your days obsessing over your to-do list and feeling like you can barely handle what’s going on in your life? If so, you might be under more stress than usual.
Feeling overwhelmed can take up many shapes, but it often arises through anxiety, which relates to your ability to complete your tasks on time.
9. You’re Prone to Depression
Depression is a complicated condition that researchers are still trying to figure out. Sometimes, perfectly healthy and stress-free people fall prey to the condition for no apparent reason. But, other times, it’s precisely stress that might play a role in the equation.
According to research, psychological stress can bring about physiological changes inside the body that make individuals more susceptible to depression (9). Some of the effects relate to the production of essential neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
If you find yourself falling into depressive streaks more frequently than you used to, that could indicate that you’re dealing with more stress in your life.
10. Panic Attacks
Panic attacks are somewhat rare episodes of sudden fear that lead to physical symptoms, such as dizziness, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, sweating, and more.
Despite their rarity, panic attacks can occur in perfectly healthy individuals, and one cause for that is stress. As discussed above, too much stress can lead to overthinking, feelings of overwhelm, and an inability to cope. Over time, these negative feelings can add up and culminate in full-blown panic attacks.
Coach Michael
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