Many people deal with stress in unhealthy ways, and as a consequence experience negative impacts on their health. Some common unhealthy ways of dealing with stress include consuming too much caffeine, smoking (cigarettes and marijuana), drinking in excess, compulsive spending, and emotional eating. Some health risks than can result from dealing with stress in these ways may include depression, diabetes, hair loss, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, obesity, obsessive compulsive or anxiety disorder, sexual dysfunction, tooth and gum disease, and ulcers among others things. To avoid dealing with stress in this manner it is important to be aware of your personal tendencies and also the warning signs and symptoms of stress. A lot of times people will not admit or know they are stressed therefore not knowing how to properly deal with it. The following is a list of “Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms” from http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm (**Please click on the link for a more in depth helpguide for stress)
Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
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)
This is a very beneficial blog especially since it is very close to the end of the semester and I am sure that a lot of people are stressed. I myself am feeling stressed because I feel like I have a ton of work to get done all of the sudden. After looking at the list of symptoms I do notice myself eating alittle more than usual and always putting off my work until that last minute. Sometimes the putting work off until the last minute makes me work a little harder because I know I need to get it done. I know that it is not a good thing to do but sometimes you just have to stay motivated and remember that the stress will end eventually.
ReplyDeleteI just read the quote "Desserts is Stressed spelled backwards," and thought it was appropriate for this post.
ReplyDeleteI have actually never dealt with stress by doing any of these things, but after getting over whatever it was stressing me out I will definitely celebrate by partaking in a few of the activities listed in this article. It's sad when people decide to escape their problems by drinking because the problems aren't going to go away when you wake up the next day. As a matter of fact they will probably be worse with the splitting headache you have on top of all those problems causing you to stress.
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