The average person commonly experiences high levels of stress at any given time, especially if work or school starts increasing demands on performance. The body processes stress in mysterious ways. It is important to listen to what your body is telling you. Read this list of five sneaky symptoms of stress.
1. Difficulty Concentrating – There is so much to do, yet you have completely lost your ability to sit down and focus on the project at hand? Emotional stress can actually cause concentration problems. Your brain is feeling overwhelmed to the point where you begin thinking about other issues and not the task right in front of you. Not being able to focus will in turn cause more stress because you are unable to finish the work you need to accomplish.
2. Weight Gain – As if being stressed doesn’t cause enough emotional turmoil, suddenly your belt is feeling tighter than usual. Weight gain is commonly associated with stress for a couple of reasons. Impulsive eating goes hand in hand with feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, cortisol, otherwise known as the stress hormone, is produced, slowing down the metabolism and making a person crave fatty, sugary foods.
3. Digestive Issues – Stress can directly impact the functioning of a person’s gastrointestinal tract. People experience high levels of stress often experience stomach aches, diarrhea and/or constipation, nausea, and even vomiting. Combine this experience with out of control cortisol levels causing cravings for unhealthy foods, and the body becomes very overwhelmed. This is why, despite all of the unhealthy cravings you may be experiencing, eating a healthy diet is crucial to combatting stress.
4. Being Sick – You are overwhelmed and now to top it off, you seem to have caught some kind of viral sickness that you just can’t fight? Stress actually compromises your immune system making it very easy to get sick and quite difficult to get over a sickness. Getting sick ultimately contributes to your stress level as you are not able to accomplish what was making you stressed to begin with.
5. Trouble Sleeping – Sleep is supposed to be a period of time for your body and brain to rest, rejuvenate, and ready itself for the following day. However, when stress levels are out of control, getting the kind of rest you need becomes very difficult. Falling asleep or staying asleep becomes challenging, as the brain continues to ruminate on the various causes of stress. Additionally, if you are exhausted throughout the day, it becomes nearly impossible to focus and your body craves high-calorie, fatty foods to compensate for the lack of energy, feeding into the vicious cycle of stress reactions contributing to the overall state.
Neurofeedback teaches the brain to function healthily, reducing and/or eliminating all of these symptoms of stress. Put an end to the cycle! Read our blog 5 Healthy and Natural Stress Management Tips!
First image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
Second image courtesy of marin at www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net
