In this fast-growing age, every individual suffers from stress to some extent at some point in their life. It is the body’s reaction to any change, be it any emotional, physical, or mental pressure. Stress causes the body to release hormones to react to the change. In case of any danger or a threat, a “fight-or-flight” reaction activates to deal with the challenging situation. During the response, two hormones, adrenaline, and cortisol cause your heart to beat faster, quicken breathing, increase blood pressure, and tighten muscles.
The cause of stress does not have to be necessarily negative such as a demanding job, failing relationships, losing a loved one, financial problems, etc. It can be due to positive events, like promotion, receiving a scholarship, getting married, etc. On the other hand, not all stress is due to real scenarios; some may be because of imaginary situations or unrealistic thoughts.
According to Statista, about 33% of citizens of the United States experience mental health problems. Many people in San Francisco are either roaming around or sleeping on the streets. The city’s homelessness situation has created a disturbance among its citizens, causing them to suffer from mental illness and drug addictions. The main reason for stress in San Francisco CA is the higher cost of accommodation. For this reason, authorities are trying to handle the crisis. Concurrently, the therapists play their roles in helping people with stress, and anxiety issues provide a quality life.
Do you always feel overwhelmed or drained out? Then it’s time to identify common signs of stress and take necessary measures to mitigate its impact on your life. Some of the typical human behavioral changes are:
1. Depression
Generally, when people suffer from a great deal of stress, they often get depressed. It is because they think they will have to encounter some threatening situations soon. Pounding of heart, breaking sweat, and feeling light-headed are all the indications of depression.
Many people go through high levels of stress due to problems in their work life. Matters such as laying off and job security can add up to the depression. Stretching workouts can keep your mind relaxed and at ease. To overcome depressing thoughts, try inhaling and exhaling fresh air early in the morning.
2. Mood Swings
Do you get annoyed even with the slightest bit of inconvenience? Have you caught yourself snapping at people over petty issues? Unfortunately, you are suffering from high-level stress, causing your body’s energy to drain out completely. Stress elicits the feeling of uneasiness and discomfort in your mood. It might make you dislike the things you used to do, such as strolling in a park, gyming, or hanging out with friends. Sometimes inexplicable anger can lead to an addition of stress level. The best possible treatment for mood swings is to take anger management classes and avoid things leading to foul mood.
3. Loss of Appetite
The very first part of the human body that gets affected by stress is your stomach. You can feel it in your belly when something goes wrong. Many studies have shown that the brain directly influences the intestines and stomach. Even when a person ponders about stressful problems, there will be an increase in stomach acids, causing the stomach to churn badly and losing appetite. Occasionally, you can also feel digestive disorders such as diarrhea or constipation. To combat this issue, eat a healthy diet consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables and full protein.
4. Memory Loss
Are you suffering from memory loss or forgetting things lately? No wonder when you feel under the influence of stress, the hippocampus does not function well. Hippocampus is the part of your brain responsible for making a new memory and remembering the information. If you fail to push back your stress hormones, you might face distraction, get lost in your train of thoughts while talking. The longer the effect of stress, the less probably you will learn about new things in life. Practicing memory recall exercises can enhance your memory and keep the mind healthy.
5. Exhaustion
We all experience physical exhaustion after a long tiring day at work. However, mental fatigue is entirely different. You may feel overwhelmed with the slightest task, and getting the job done seems nearly impossible. Thus, your mind and body may fail to perform better at work. Along with tiredness, many other fatigue symptoms include headache, sore muscles, lack of motivation, etc. An essential tip is to try stress-relieving exercising such as yoga to eradicate exhaustion from your body.
6. Sleep
Are you finding it hard to maintain a proper sleep routine? Is your mind running from one thought to another instead of taking night rest? Too much stress can be the cause of your terrible sleep schedule. Many people suffer from stressful dreams as a result of their frustrating or upsetting events during the day. Therefore, some exercises for deep quality sleep may include progressive muscle relaxation, breathing techniques, and deep muscle relaxation techniques.
7. Addiction
When an individual experiences long-term stress, the chance of developing drug addiction is high. People use substances as a coping mechanism for their stress. While substance use may cause temporary relief from stress, it also causes long-term damage to health. Effective management stress techniques can help reduce an individual’s urge for drug usage.
Conclusion
It is crucial to realize that stress is something that a person has no control over. Everyone has to experience such situations at a certain point in their lives. However, knowing how to cope up with stress is what counts the most. As the saying goes holding back, emotions will get you nowhere; thus, watch out for people in your circle. Maybe you can be the source of putting a stop to people’s distress.