Signs Stress is Taking Over Your Life
Stress and anxiety are part of normal life. Job interviews, speaking engagements, important meetings, and even longed-for dates can inspire a flush in the cheeks and flutters in the belly. Anxiety in these situations gives us the energy to do our best and to catch things we might not otherwise. The problem is that we live in a world where we are constantly inundated with information and feel like we’re expected to be available to others around the clock. Also, with the current economic and health concerns around us all the time, life is complicated. Wondering about the news each day might bring about new restrictions, job losses, and infection rates along with what’s going to be available at the grocery store and what isn’t is a combination of macro stresses and micro stresses that would make anyone’s head spin.
Maybe you’re one of the lucky people who still has a good job, continues to make good progress at work, is enjoying good health, and doesn’t know anyone who is vulnerable to the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, but you’re not feeling that lucky. You still might catch yourself lying awake at night watching the digital numbers on your bedside clock count up to twelve and start back to one, and wonder how you’re going to be with it enough for your 8 a.m. meeting. You might think you’re selfish because what do you really have to worry about anyway?
If you think about stress in its structural sense, it’s pressure on a material structure like a foundation or a bridge that can eventually compromise that structure’s integrity. In human terms, the pressure of each little thing that goes wrong might put a dent in your confidence or a crack in your armor. Each small stressor creates a vulnerability until you find yourself crying over a typo in an email you sent to your entire department on Friday.
Even after a really stressful week, most of us can turn off our laptop at the end the day, have a hot tea, or a beer, settle on the couch with our furry companion and decompress with a silly TV show like Tiger King on Netflix.
Sometimes, it’s not that easy though.
You might find that even after that you try to take a hot bath with Epsom salts and Enya playing in the background, and it still doesn’t help. Now you’re just worried about the tigers being traumatized by the guy with the mullet. You have worries you didn’t even know you could have. This is one of many signs that self-care may not be enough.
Here are a few tell tale signs that normal stress and anxiety might be getting out of hand:
You can’t remember anything
You make a list. You check the list. You go to the store, and return with everything, but the thing you really needed because you forgot to put it on your list. Once or twice, this happens to all of us, but if it’s happening all the time, you probably need a weekend off and someone to help you write your lists.
Your voicemail is always full
If you’re planning a party or have a sick family member, you might just have that many people calling you. It happens. I also fully support anyone who views phones as tools of our convenience. I completely agree. However, if you have a lot of messages, it’s hard not to wonder why you’re not getting back to people or at least deleting the messages.
If you’re feeling too overwhelmed to even know where to start, it’s a sign you’re under so much stress, you just can’t handle one more thing. Take a deep breath and consider getting support to help figure out how you can come up with a schedule that allows you enough time to rest and fulfill all your responsibilities.
Nothing Gets Done Yet You’re Always Exhausted
This could be a two prong problem. You’re probably accomplishing more than you realize. Read this article on how to come up with a better to do list. As for the exhaustion, maybe you aren’t getting the sleep you need. Logistics aside, what matters most here is how you view your worth and your accomplishments. If you have never felt like you’ve ever accomplished enough and you never will, it’s time to talk to a professional counselor like me who might be able to give you some insights into how you can start celebrating your accomplishments again. Given that a consultation is only fifteen minutes long, it’s an easy task to scratch off your list.
