Stress shows up differently for different people. From showing physical symptoms such as exhaustion and headaches, to loss of appetite and sleepiness. However, stress can also manifest itself in your system through emotional turmoil. Since stress is the body’s response to tension and high pressure situations, it can affect your emotions too. The emotional symptoms of stress are easy to find if you know what you’re looking for! If you can recognise these emotional symptoms of stress early on, it’ll help you manage your stress better.
The 4 main emotional symptoms of stress
Unhappiness. When stress hits, you may find yourself feeling the pressure and tension. As a result, you can feel anxious and unhappy. This is quite common when you are having personal or financial stress, among other sensitive issues. If stress is left unchecked, it can lead to depression in the longer term. This is one of the main emotional symptoms of stress and the earlier you recognise it, the easier it becomes to act on it; for you or a loved one.
Irritation. When stressed, you are tense and nervous so more likely to feel irritable and angry. These are common with people who face stress. All sorts of stress cause irritation, including stress at work, personal issues, being stuck in traffic or even exam stress. You feel ticked off at the smallest of things due to stress. As a result, you may end up reacting due to an unrelated annoyance or irritation.
Mood swings. When you’re stressed, you are irritable, have headaches, may not sleep well and your eating habits suffer as well. Moreover, there is a hormonal imbalance due to the surge of cortisol and adrenaline in your body. As a result, it is common to also face mood swings. You are in a constant state of worry and the strain takes its toll on you, causing your mood to fluctuate a lot. In case you find yourself feeling moody often and aren’t sure why, it could be one of the emotional symptoms of stress.
Excessive worry. Stress takes a toll on your emotional state of mind. When under pressure due to a deadline, exams or any other reason, you may start to worry a lot. If you’re unable to deal with stress, this feeling lingers on for a while and becomes excessive. It’s one of the most telling emotional symptoms of stress and a great way to deal with this is to practice a stress relief exercises.
These are some of the main emotional symptoms of stress. All of these may not hold true for you and sometimes stress may exhibit itself through physical or behavioural changes. What matters is recognising the symptoms early and being able to manage stress in an efficient manner.
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