Anxiety is a natural human response and our bodies were created chemically and physically to respond to stressors in this way as a protective response. We experience “fight or flight” so we can survive in an emergency situation or to get us through a scary presentation or short term situation. When our short term, situational stressors become consistent, we enter a state of chronic stress and are often unaware. We continue to push through our day to day lives multitasking, overworking, sleep deprived, until we become so exhausted and oftentimes become ill. It is important to recognize the symptoms early on so we can take some steps to reverse the stress prior to illness. So how do we know when we are in a state of chronic stress?
Below are ten examples of signs that your anxiety/stress is not well controlled:
- Intrusive thoughts: Thoughts that are consistent and out of our control about topics we cannot control, but we wish could. For example, excessive worry about our children, about death, thinking about family members, overwhelming thoughts about work or a project, or thinking of the ongoing to-do lists. Lately, it could be thoughts about politics or feeling unsafe .The key to intrusive thoughts is that they keep coming and are out of our control, even when we know they are not reasonable.
- Restless feeling: Feeling like we cannot relax, pacing, racing mind, racing heart or increased rate of breathing. In this case, I find myself excessively cleaning when I am stressed and I can’t stop until it is all done, but then I am left exhausted.
- Worrying excessively: This is a big one right now because we live in such a stressful time and a stressful world. The media constantly reminds us that we are not safe, not even at the grocery store or in school. It is so hard to stop the thoughts of repetitive worrying for our children, our loved ones and ourselves when we have constant reminders of what is happening in our world. Many new Moms often experience postpartum anxiety and a sign could be excessive worrying that something bad will happen to themselves or to their baby.
- Sleep difficulties: When we worry excessively or have constant intrusive thoughts, it often impacts our ability to fall asleep or stay asleep, causing frequent waking overnight. When this becomes chronic, we begin to experience physical symptoms such as brain fog, headaches, dizziness, anxiety and depression, etc.
- Difficulty concentrating: Lack of sleep, intrusive thoughts and worry can make it difficult to focus and to concentrate on our daily tasks. Often this feeling is described as “brain fog”. I so often see this in women who are taking on too much, not sleeping, or multi-tasking.
- Fatigue or dizziness: Lack of sleep and restlessness can make us feel off balance and cause excessive fatigue. When I excessively clean, I often end up feeling so tired that I fall asleep in the middle of the day just hours after I had cleaned. Many women will go to their family practitioner requesting blood work because they assume something must be wrong, when actually, they are physically and mentally exhausted.
- Avoiding social activities: Excessive worry and intrusive thoughts can make us feel uncomfortable in social situations, scared to leave our homes and we overthink how we will appear to others in social situations. This can cause us to withdraw and miss out on social events with friends and family. Spending time with those who uplift us and having fun can help counteract our anxiety and make us feel safe.
- Nausea, diarrhea, GI disorders: The brain and the gut are wired together with nerves which is why we often have GI symptoms during times of distress or anxiety. It is no coincidence when you experience GI symptoms during times of stress.
- Tension headaches, migraines: Tightening of the muscles the neck and shoulders when we are stressed often causes tension headaches. Grinding our teeth, clenching, lack of sleep, fatigue, or taking shallow breaths can all contribute to migraine symptoms.
- Irritability, increased crying: Being overly sensitive or having a “shorter fuse” with our loved ones or children is a sign our anxiety is not well controlled. Feeling tearful or upset over circumstances that would not normally upset us. This often correlates with worry and fear.
So how do we combat these feelings above and overcome the chronic stress?
Overcoming these feelings and emotions is not a quick fix, but you can implement some daily consistent and realistic habits that can guide your body back into a state of calm. It comes down to self love, taking the time for yourself when you need it, meeting yourself where you are and not being so damn hard on yourself. You can read about some realistic self care techniques in this article to learn some easy, achievable ways to decrease your anxiety.
Look, life if challenging right now. The world is not an easy place to navigate. If you are still finding it difficult to control your anxiety, do not be afraid to reach out to seek professional help. I offer coaching and counseling sessions myself from my level of experience, or you are welcome to reach out to a psychiatrist or therapy service that meets your needs.
The goal is to be gentle with yourself, loving to yourself, and treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend. Imagine what you would tell your child if they are anxious and scared. “You are safe, you are loved and you are supported, always. You are not alone.” Please, ask for the help when you need it, call a friend, don’t try to fight it alone. We have all been there.
All my love, Brenna
