When there is too much stress?

I think most of us are very good at recognizing when there is too much stress in our lives. Usually we “just” know it or feel it.

I often come across statements like: “I feel like I’m going to explode in a little while”, “I don’t have the strength anymore, there’s so much of it”, “I have too much”, “I can’t handle it anymore”, “I’m tired of it”. This is important information for me that there are too many difficult/stressful situations in the life of the person I’m talking to.

And although we usually know whether we feel it, we often have difficulty describing this “something” that is too much. We have difficulty talking “about it” more – what is too much, where “it” is felt, how do I know that it is too much. And such stopping and describing helps us a lot to understand: what is happening in my life. In which areas of my life have I accumulated too much stress. And this opens the way for us to work with this excess. And thus to feel better.

It also happens that we feel some discomfort on a physical or mental level, but we do not associate it with stress. Sometimes we think “this is tiredness”, “everyone at this age feels this way”, “this is just how I am”, “this is just how I am”, etc. If you recognize yourself in this while reading this, I encourage you to read the previous parts of the All This Stress series: What is stress and What makes us stressed. They will help you understand this phenomenon and identify areas of excessive stress in your life.

And although it is sometimes difficult for us to talk about stress and what we feel, our body does it flawlessly every day. In its great wisdom, it is a wonderful signpost and indicator of the level of stress in our lives. It is worth observing it and it is worth listening to what it wants to tell us.

When there is too much stress, you can feel:

• excessive tension in the body and pain

For example, stiffness in the back, neck, shoulders, etc. When the tension is too high, it can also cause pain, e.g. headache, neck pain, etc., but also many others. If the doctor or physiotherapist you work with is unable to locate the causes of the pain, and all treatments or cures do not work, it is worth checking whether our pain does not have an emotional basis, and whether it is not related to excessive stress.

• sleep problems

For example, difficulty falling asleep, restless sleep, nightmares, waking up at night or in the morning, morning fatigue despite many hours of sleep.

• hyperactivity / excessive arousal

You feel like you can’t stand still, you constantly have to do something, your hands are shaking, you stomp your feet under the table during meetings, you constantly snack, you talk a lot and quickly, and when you sit down in silence, you feel discomfort that tells you to get up and do something. This is information from the body – “I have so much stimulation inside me that I need to move”. This is a natural mechanism that helps us release excess stress from the body. However, it is worth considering where this excess comes from.

• chronic fatigue, apathy, weariness, lack of strength and willingness to act

No matter how much you sleep or rest, you still feel tired. You have no strength or desire to do anything. Everything comes to you with difficulty.

• anxiety, panic attacks

They are information for us that for our nervous system “there is too much”, that it has too many stimuli that it cannot cope with.

• depression

Excessive stress is one of the most important factors accompanying depression.

• irritability

Everything pisses you off, irritates you, you often explode with anger or cry, you become aggressive, you are tired of noise, the number of people, too bright light. You feel that everything is “too much”.

• difficulty concentrating and remembering

Your thoughts are racing, you can’t focus on one thing, you start several activities and don’t finish any of them, you go into the room for something and after a while you forget why. You don’t remember names, dates, you’re late for meetings – because you forgot, you do several things at once, usually in a hurry.

• recurrent colds or illnesses

Excessive stress lowers the body’s immunity, and as a result, it is an important factor accompanying many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, dementia and many others.

• escaping from the world

For example, locking yourself in the house, isolating yourself from people, excessive suspicion, lack of trust, reluctance to meet, escaping into the virtual world.

• digestive disorders

Stomach pain, heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, etc.

• weight loss or excess weight
• reduced or excessive libido.

And we could probably cite many other signals that tell us that there is too much stress in our body.

Of course, all of these symptoms can be combined, occur to a greater or lesser extent. They can also all be symptoms accompanying diseases, deficiencies or the general condition of our body. Remember that everything in our body is connected to everything else. Our emotions, lifestyle, what and at what times we eat will always affect our health and well-being. And all of this can trigger a stress response in our body. And this in turn can be the cause of diseases, deficiencies and general poor well-being. And the circle closes.

Whenever you feel any physical or mental discomfort, it is worth doing an extended lifestyle interview in consultation with a specialist in the given area and performing the necessary tests that will give you a broader picture of your well-being and the factors that may affect it. Then we act more broadly and effectively, simultaneously working with excessive stress and, for example, treating inflammation or supplementing deficiencies.

We already know what stress is, what stresses us out, and how to tell if there’s too much stress in my life. It’s time to take action.

In the next part of the Course for a Good Life, I’ll tell you about How to Deal with Excessive Stress.