When Stress Starts Running Your Life: Small Signs It May Be Time To Ask For Support

Stress can be a functional part of your life. Your push to meet that big deadline or get ready for your family vacation can help you get things done more efficiently. But not all stress is helpful. Sometimes, stress gets so bad that it starts to get in the way of your life, even the things that shouldn’t be stressful.

Learning how to recognize unhealthy stress is a lifelong practice. Here are a few ways to recognize when your stress has shifted from productive to unhealthy, as well as some practices to help you stay in tune with yourself.

Common Warning Signs for Out-Of-Control Stress

Your Stress Demotivates You

Stress can be motivating, but not always. When you find that you’re stuck in a pattern that you can’t seem to get out of, stress can actively stop you from getting things done.

Think about how you manage your life, and you may see some patterns start to emerge. Do you stay up late worrying about what might happen? Do you find that you can’t just buckle down and complete the tasks in front of you? Pay attention to the constant anxiety.

Your Stress Interferes With Non-Stressful Situations

A relaxed outing with friends. A quiet weekend morning at home with family. Unhealthy stress can ruin even the lightest of situations.

Stress can make you feel like you need to control everything or, conversely, make you check out and disengage with life. These issues can bleed into your regular activities, interfering with what should be relaxing moments and filling them with tension.

You Struggle to Regulate Your Mood

It’s unsurprising that stress can play a big role in your ability to control your mood. Persistent stress wreaks havoc on you and the people around you. It can turn you into a snapping turtle, biting at the next person who asks you if you’re done with that project yet. Stress can also give you brain fog or a numb feeling, so that you fail to connect with the people you care about.

You Have Physical Symptoms You Can’t Identify

Over time, stress begins to affect you physically. It may start with an inability to sleep or a change in your appetite. You may find that you eat more to compensate for poor sleep or can’t even get through a regular meal.

Stress also weakens your body’s defenses. You may be more likely to get sick, feel aches and pains that have no obvious cause, or have a hard time pushing through constant fatigue.

How to Tell You Need Additional Support

Do a Daily Check-In With Yourself

When you’re going through something difficult or just trying to get to the next break, a daily check-in with yourself can help. Sometimes, you don’t even notice that your stress is taking over your life until you start asking yourself about it.

Once a day, during a calm moment, ask yourself how you’re really doing. Think about your stresses and consider whether you need to ask for additional support or scale back on your responsibilities.

Consult Family and Friends

When you’re stuck in the middle of it, even a daily check-in might not be enough to make you see what’s going on. That’s when family and friends can help out.

If you have a lot on your plate and you’re getting overwhelmed, talk to a trusted friend or family member about it. Choose a person you can rely on to be honest and prioritize your best interests. Ask them how they think you’re doing and really listen to the answer.

Talk to Your Doctor

Stress often shows up on your medical chart, in the form of weight loss or gain, higher blood pressure, and other factors. When you go to your regular checkup, talk to your doctor about your stress. See if your body is holding up well or breaking down. If the idea of going to an appointment to talk about stress seems like too much to ask, consider calling a convenient service like house call doctors for seniors.

Listen to Your Gut

Ultimately, you need to trust your gut about your stress levels. If you wake up every morning with dread and struggle to get to bed at night and every cell in your body is screaming for a break, you know it’s time. It’s better to recognize that you need help than to suffer alone.

When you feel persistent stress, you may need additional support to help you get through it. Your body and mind can tell you how you’re doing if you are willing to listen and respect your own boundaries.