A bit of stress can be energising and motivating, but too much stress can be very damaging to your physical and emotional health. Chronic stress affects everything from our sleep to our blood pressure, career, and relationships. Are you stressed? Would you like to manage stress better?
Healthy stress vs unhealthy stress
‘Good stress’ is stress where there’s no real fear or threat involved, for example when you are about to go on a date or you’re trying to get a promotion at work. Stress like this can make you feel excited and motivated.
‘Bad stress’ is either acute or chronic. Acute stress might be something like your car breaking down on the way to work. While it feels stressful, your feelings of stress reduce once the stressor has gone away, i.e. your car has been towed to the garage, you get a lift into work, and you later find out that the problem with your car is easily fixable.
Chronic stress is the long-term stress that feels inescapable. Things like a stressful job with a heavy workload or an unhappy home life can cause chronic stress that takes its toll on our bodies and minds.
Is your stress manageable?
Chronic stress is the kind of stress that easily becomes unmanageable before you know it. Here are the signs that you need to manage stress better because it’s exceeded your ability to cope.
You feel irritable much of the time
You are drinking or smoking excessively
You can’t sleep and wake up early
You struggle to concentrate
You get easily upset and emotional and you have frequent crying spells
You suffer from headaches and digestive issues
You have chest pain and shortness of breath
Your blood pressure is high
The impact your stress has on others
Stress doesn’t just affect you, it affects the people around you too. Here are a few examples of how the stress you’re feeling can affect other people.
You take it home and take your stress out on your partner.
You vent to a friend about your stress and leave them feeling worked up or down in the dumps.
Your stress at work spills over and causes conflict with a colleague.
Instead of venting, you isolate yourself or shut down which makes your relationships suffer.
You go out drinking and drink excessively when you’re stressed and this impacts on your relationships.
Would you like to manage stress better?
Instead of spiralling out of control or isolating yourself, why not learn some better ways to manage stress?
Whether what’s behind your stress is trauma, a life situation, or it’s being driven by your own thoughts, I can help you get back in control.
Get in touch to find out how therapy can help you finally put down those burdens and live a happier, healthier life.