1. Are your Breathless or Energized?
An adrenaline rush can indicate that you have just sensed a threat, or in other words, that you have just been introduced to the first stage of stress. The feelings of breathlessness and increased energy takes place when you perceive a threat and your fight or flight instinct kicks in to deal with the problem. Also, this experience can be characterized by increased heartbeat and rapid breathing, in addition to the other bodily reactions described above.
2. Impossible Relaxation
Are you finding relaxation impossible, even when you actually make an effort to relax? Long exposure to stressful conditions means that your body is aware of a threat of some sort at all times. This constant vigilant state takes over your brain; as a result, your defenses are up constantly and relaxation is impossible at this stage of stress.
3. Dangerous Stress Levels
The most dangerous stage of stress results in exhaustion and chronic fatigue; feeling thoroughly drained or devoid of energy is a sign that you are moving into higher levels of stress; higher stress levels can cause heart disease, ulcers, mental illness and other very serious health problems if they are not caught in time.
4. The Body's Reaction
Researchers, doctors and other stress experts all seem to differ on the number of stages of stress; the number of stages can vary from two to four but no matter the number, your experience of stress symptoms is same. Each stage is differentiated by the bodily and psychological responses to stress; the system or number does not really matter, as long as you are able to recognize that you are experiencing stress.
5. Don't Ignore the Symptoms
Now that you are aware of the stages of stress, you see that certain symptoms simply cannot be ignored or treated flippantly. If you are in any of the above stages of stress and you are experiencing symptoms of stress, please take care; prolonged exposure to the more intense stages of stress can lead to severe long-term health problems, physical and otherwise.
