Tips for recognising and managing stress

Stress, it’s something we have all experienced. Whether your in your teens or in your late 60’s stress will have affected you in some way, and most of the time we may not even notice it.

While small amounts of stress won’t affect you immensely what most of us don’t know is that large amounts of stress can actually lead to many health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, inflammation and diabetes. It’s extremely important that we know the ways of recognising and managing stress so that we can maintain a healthy mind and body.

So what are the signs of stress? It’s important to remember that we all react to stress in different ways so you won’t experience all of these symptoms, but really stop and think about what you have felt in the past or maybe what you feel right now.

Physical signs

Physical signs of stress can show up in many ways. One of the most common would be in your shoulders, back and neck. These areas of your body may feel tight, sore, or may even be restricting your movements. Stress can also show through your skin, you may notice a few more pimples than usual or maybe you might see a few more lines showing up that weren’t there the night before.

Headaches can be a big tell-tail of stress as well as fatigue if these signs are something you experience frequently it may be your body telling you “hey I’m stressed help me.”

Emotional signs

Emotional signs of stress may be harder for us to notice ourselves. A lot of the time we tend to start taking it out on our family members or friends, even colleagues and we will never notice if they don’t say anything. Another big emotional sign of stress is loss of interest, you may find yourself no longer wanting to do the things you love or unable to because your mind is always elsewhere. Similar to that you may not be able to focus even with little tasks.

But out of all these signs, the most obvious and one that takes a huge toll on both our physical and emotional health is the loss of sleep. Nothing feels worse when you lie down tired in bed and you just cannot switch off, every single thought under the sun is running through your mind. If this is you there is a big chance it’s because you’re stressed.

So you know the signs to look out for now, how do you manage stress? Here are five tips to help you keep on top of it.

Tips for managing your stress

Avoid things like alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine
Seek relaxation, treat your self to a massage treatment monthly
Vent, talking to someone about your worries and stresses can often help relieve them
Get moving, exercise is a great way to get focused and motivated

These few steps may help you give your body the relief it needs from the stress we carry every day and can protect your body from further health risks that may present themselves.