Where Stress Hides

In this quick article, you will learn the many different ways your body could be sending you messages that you are stressed. In learning this information, our hope is that you can use this information to look at the stress in your life.

Stress, what causes it?

Is it juggling the household bills?
Is it something in your workplace?
Is it too many balls up in the air at once?
Is it the struggles in your relationship?
Is it the rush of packing lunches, getting breakfast, getting everyone dressed and out the door for school?

The list of causes could go on but the truth is it can be any, all or more of these kinds of things; and stress can be different for every person. It’s probably fair to say that just about every adult, particularly those who are parents, have suffered stress at some point in the last 10 years. Sometimes stress even just becomes a way of life, and we don’t even recognise we are stressed anymore. Until one day, something happens and Snap! your body starts to give in. That’s the power of stress – it can cause your body to give in.

Here are some of the places where stress hides in your body. The reason I say ‘hides’ is because these outward signs are our body is trying to tell us something. That ‘something’ is quite often related to our stress levels.

In your head

• The quality of your sleep – some people can’t sleep, others just want to sleep.
• Headaches & dizziness
• Loss of some, or all, of your hair
• Anxiety, depression, nervousness
• Anger & Irritability
• ADD/ADHD- like behaviours
• Mouth ulcers or mouth dryness
• Grinding of your teeth & any jaw tension
• The quality of your eating – some people eat too little; some people will eat too much; most people won’t eat what their body really needs.

In your Heart

• Increased heart rate
• Stroke
• Heart Disease
• Hypertension
• Diabetes

In your Muscles

• Muscle tension
• Spasms of muscles – particularly your shoulders, neck and lower back

In your Digestive System

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Stomach and duodenal ulcers
• Upset stomach and abdominal pains

In your Reproductive Organs

• Decreased fertility and sometimes infertility
• Decreased sex drive
• Menstruation problems
• Vaginal infections
• Premature ejaculation or impotence

Do you, or anyone in your family, have any of these symptoms? Would you say you get them frequently (at least once a week?). If so, it could be that Stress is ‘The Root Cause’ of these symptoms, and you may want to have a think about your stress levels, what’s causing them, and how you could respond to them better.

If you would like some more support or advice, there are some sources below I recommend, or send me a message and I am always happy to help where I can.