No one can escape stress. Whether in the form of daily hassles like sitting in morning traffic or dealing with an annoying co-worker or major life changes like the death of a family member or losing a job, stressors are unavoidable. Even happy life changes like getting married or moving can be highly stressful. Recognizing the symptoms of stress is the first step toward managing the problem.
Physical Ailments
Stress often makes itself known through your body. Some the most common symptoms of stress are a sore neck, aching body muscles and lower back pain. Insomnia may also occur as may headaches and high blood pressure, the Mayo Clinic says. Gastrointestinal issues may also flare up, including acid indigestion, heartburn and irregular bowel movements, according to The National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC).
Immune Suppression
Perhaps most notable is the immune system's response to stress. When a stressor appears only briefly, such as when someone cuts you off in traffic, you might feel your adrenaline surge, but your body soon returns to normal. This is a healthy stress response that psychologists call "fight or flight." When a stressor continues for a long while, like when you're not getting along with your spouse, the stress is likely to suppress immune functioning. This means that you're likely to catch colds easier and be more susceptible to viruses, have more severe symptoms and remain sick longer than people who are not stressed. If stress continues for years, it can set the stage for heart attacks and other serious diseases.
Behavioral Symptoms
Perhaps the most common behavioral symptoms of stress are displays of irritability, including snapping at others and lacking patience during benign interactions. Other behavioral stress symptoms may mimic hyperactivity or anxiety responses, including fidgeting, always being on the go and being unable to stick with one activity for a long period of time.
Changes in Bad Habits
The Mayo Clinic notes that unhealthy habits often appear or become more frequent when a person is stressed. The most common are smoking and drinking. A person may also eat either too much or too little, depending on his natural tendencies.
Cognitive Symptoms
The final category of stress symptoms are those that involve your thoughts. When you are stressed, you are more likely to have difficulty concentrating. You might also experience what psychologists call "catastrophizing," which basically means making a mountain out of a molehill. For example, a stressed person might say or think something like, "Now that I lost my job I'll be unemployed forever and will end up living on the streets." This catastrophic thought lacks logic and most likely lacks evidence to support it. Yet when you are stressed, your mind tends to run through worst case scenarios unchecked. You may also experience depressive thoughts during periods of stress, according to the NWHIC.
