Self-Assessment: Is Emotional Stress Undermining Your Health?
Is psychological or emotional stress undermining your health? Ask yourself these questions:
- Are my muscles tense? To the point of causing chronic pain? Constant stress can cause the muscles to remain in a “guarded” state for prolonged periods of time, which isn’t natural. Once our bodies have had enough, they let us know by becoming tense and painful, often exacerbating existing or past injuries. Moreover, remaining in this state can make people who do physically demanding work more injury-prone.
- Do I hyperventilate? Hyperventilation (rapid, unproductive breathing) can presage a panic attack, and with people who have respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema, or COPD, stress can trigger or aggravate “attacks” associated with their condition.
- Is my heart beating too fast? Cardiovascular symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, and even high cholesterol can be caused by stress. The risk of heart disease goes up among people living and working in chronically stressful conditions.
- Do I feel sleepy in the mid-afternoon? Sometimes it’s just that high-carb lunch you had with your officemates, but one sign that stress is affecting you is an increased desire for sleep. Sleep is when our bodies repair the effects of physical and psychological stress during the day.
- Do I feel hungry even when I’ve just eaten? Our bodies’ natural response to increased demands for energy and attention is to replenish that spent energy, and hunger is a natural response following a stressful day. We don’t spend as much of that energy at our desks as we feel the need to replace, but that’s just how our bodies are programmed.
- Is my stomach unhappy? Stress can affect digestion and aggravate acid reflux, create nausea, and prompt emergency restroom visits.
- Do I feel hot, cold, feverish, or ill? If you’re not sick, you may still feel that way. Stress hormones elevate body temperature, and sufficient stress can induce flu-like symptoms. If you wake up from a good night’s sleep feeling just fine, it may be that stress was the culprit the day before.
- Do friends or family say I’m acting out of character? If your son asks why you’re angry all the time, or your best friend wonders, “Are you really okay? You seem really low lately”, these are red flags that psychological stress is chipping away at your health. If you find yourself constantly apologizing to loved ones for snapping at them, this is another clue that emotional stress is taking a toll on your wellbeing.
Most of these symptoms gradually disappear with the removal of stressors, but some can have persistent effects that over time, become long-term health concerns. Take action now if you realize that many of these questions describe your situation accurately.