Stress has become common, but not many people know that they are experiencing it. You can start the healing process only when you are aware that you are experiencing it. Therefore, you should make an effort to understand it and recognize its most common symptoms. You may help yourself, sister or a friend for good.
Stress has become common, but not many people know that they are experiencing it. You can start the healing process only when you are aware that you are experiencing it.
When you log in to your social media, there is a 99% chance that you will read some sad news. Maybe someone committed suicide in your neighborhood. Another person may have killed his or her girlfriend for unknown reasons. No matter how many times you read such news, it may never strike you until you find that someone you know was involved.
The news you read show the sad reality about living in modern society. We have become too much consumed with ourselves that we cannot tell when our friends need help. All we want is to succeed and then parade on social media with selfies of our trips to expensive places. But it is forgivable because many of us may be suffering from stress without our knowledge.
So how do you know that you have stress or depression? What signs should you look out for? Below are some of the signs of stress that indicate you or your friend needs to see a doctor.
You Are Eating More or Less than Usual
When you are stressed, you may develop the tendency to eat more or less than your usual portion. You may find yourself eating even when you are not angry. You want to release the emotional trauma by eating so that you can forget your worries. Sometimes, you may starve as a response to the things you are experiencing.
In both cases, you may notice that your weight may change. It may increase or decrease based on your eating behavior. If you are not careful, the unhealthy eating behavior that you develop during stress may turn into an eating disorder. Therefore, it is important to address the issues you are facing immediately you become aware of the situation.
You May Experience Chronic Fatigue Coupled with Insomnia
A study conducted by the Department of Mental Health at the University of Leipzig found out that stress trigger fatigue. You may experience fatigue that may last for one, two, or more months. You feel tired even when all you have done is relaxed the whole day.
In addition to this, the fatigue may be accompanied by a lack of sleep. No matter how much you try to get yourself to sleep because you are tired, you find that you just lay in bed. The sleep does not come.
Some individuals turn to take sleeping pills so that they can have a good night’s sleep. As soon as you realize that you can’t get sleep and are always tired, this is a sign that something is wrong.
You Are Experiencing Regular Headaches
Normally, you should be jovial and cool except when you are ill once in a while. However, a headache may strike you today. You take medication and get well. Then the next day, it hits you again, and you still take the pain pills. Within a week and a half, you discover that you have had headaches almost every day. This is a classic sign that something is wrong and you need to attend to your health. Too much thinking and the emotional trauma associated with it may lead you to have headaches.
If it is not serious, you can find a way of dealing with it. For example, you may talk to someone close about the issues that are bothering you. If you do not have someone close that you can trust, use other ways. You may talk to a therapist, write a story, or search online how people who faced the same issues as yours dealt with them.
You are Withdrawn and Want to be Alone All the Time
When a person is stressed, he or she may prefer being alone. The individual spends the lone time thinking, crying, and just not talking to someone. It may be exhausting to talk to people when you have unresolved issues. Even if your friends invite you for an event that you have always been a part of, you say no.
If you say no to events that you have always enjoyed, it’s time to do a reality check. Write down all the issues that are making you want to be alone. Then start solving them one by one. By the time you finalize the process, you will have gotten better mentally.
What Can You Do to Deal with Stress?
You can do the following to help you overcome stress and depression.
- Start exercising
You can take a morning or evening run every day. It will help you to get better physically, mentally, and emotionally.
- Eat healthy food
Set meal times and ensure that you eat a healthy diet. Do not fall for anything that comes your way if it is not good for your body.
- Face reality as it is
People become stressed because they deny the issues they are facing. If something happened, accept that it did and then find ways to cope with reality as it is. Denying situations only makes it worse.