tis is wht i learn fr stress..
stress doesn’t always look stressful..
beyond a certain point, stress starts causing major damage to health,
mood, productivity, relationships, & life.

3 most common ways people respond when they’re overwhelmed by stress:

Foot on the gas –
An angry or agitated stress response.
You’re heated, keyed up, overly emotional, and unable to sit still.

Foot on the brake –
A withdrawn or depressed stress response.
You shut down, space out, and show very little energy or emotion.

Foot on both –
Tense and frozen stress response.
You “freeze” under pressure and can’t do anything.
You look paralyzed, but under the surface you’re extremely agitated.

Signs and symptoms of stress overload

e following table lists some of the common warning signs and symptoms of stress.
e more signs and symptoms you notice in urself,
e closer you may be to stress overload.

Cognitive Symptoms
Memory problems
Inability to concentrate
Poor judgment
Seeing only the negative
Anxious or racing thoughts
Constant worrying

Emotional Symptoms
Moodiness
Irritability or short temper
Agitation, inability to relax
Feeling overwhelmed
Sense of loneliness and isolation
Depression or general unhappiness

Physical Symptoms
Aches and pains
Diarrhea or constipation
Nausea, dizziness
Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
Loss of sex drive
Frequent colds

Behavioral Symptoms
Eating more or less
Sleeping too much or too little
Isolating yourself from others
Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

The body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats.
When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend,
a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly
as if you were facing a life-or-death situation.

If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries,
your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time.
The more your body’s stress system is activated, the harder it is to shut off.

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems.
Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body.
It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system,
increase the risk of heart attack and stroke,
contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process.

Long-term stress can even rewire the brain,
leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

Too much stress over long periods of time can hinder brain function in a major way.
One of the reasons for this is because when you become stressed your body
releases a stress hormone called cortisol .
This hormone, which is also known for causing excess belly fat and
therefore increased risk of heart disease, affects your ability to
remember things and think straight.

When we become stressed or anxious,
our bodies also release adrenaline into the bloodstream,
which in turn causes the body to release cortisol.
The two compounds are an essential part of your fight or flight
response but are very different. One of the major differences is that
cortisol remains in your body much longer than adrenaline does.
This gives the cortisol the time it needs to adversely affect your brain cells.

While in the brain cortisol disrupts the normal function of neurotransmitters,
which are the brains “communication towers.” Neurotransmitters are the
chemicals used by brain cells to carry information and if they are disrupted
by cortisol your brain has a difficult time sorting things out.

In addition to memory loss, this is also why you experience the
anxiety gaze (staring blankly) and brain fog from time to time.
Your brain’s ability to transmit information, like memories,
is temporarily affected by the stress hormones you release when
you are feeling high anxiety or prolonged stress.
The brain is simply bogged down by all the anxiety juice
released into the bloodstream.

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stress is so powerful..
e effect of stress overload cn b reali scary..

hv to learn hw to unwind..
hv to learn hw to cope with all e stress i m facing everyday..
if nt, i may end up like mum.. went blank..

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