Ways your body is telling you you're stressed

With deadlines approaching and exams on the horizon, I think it could be helpful to know the not so obvious signs to know that your body is telling you you’re feeling stressed, and how to deal with them effectively. 

For me, breaking out in a sweat when I don’t understand something is frequent, but long-term continued levels of stress can have an adverse effect on both your physical and mental wellbeing. 

In the short-term, shortness of breath, headaches, excessive sweating, palpitations, thirst and shaking are just the beginning. But in the midst of a panic, Fi told me that the height of a panic can literally only last fifteen minutes. And this piece of advice changed my outlook completely. Of course, that doesn’t eradicate the panic completely, but it sure does help to settle it, and stop it from escalating in the first instance. 

Long-term the effects are endless; but a few in my experience are migraines, sleep deprivation (which just made me more HANGRY, sorry Will), missing periods, unsettled routines, irritable bowel syndrome and becoming ridiculously controlling. And it wasn’t until I went to the doctors, that they laid out all the facts in front of me and at the core of all these symptoms was my anxiety and the stress it induced. 

But being able to harness control of all of these factors and reduce stress at the same time felt almost impossible. However, it does happen and you just have to let people (and dogs) support you. I allocate time for study and if nothing is going in, I don’t push it. Because I know I’ll just get more frustrated. I plan something to look forward to pretty much every week, even if it is just taking Stella (my dog) on the longest walk one particular morning, or pancakes with Fi (oh the pancakes!). And I look forward to it, know that I have something to work towards. 

THESE THINGS DON’T HAPPEN IN STRAIGHT LINES. Finding ways to reduce your individual stress doesn’t come overnight and only you know how to fix it. Understanding yourself and your body takes time, which even some older people are still yet to master. And I certainly haven’t either. But I let those around me help which was the first barrier instead on pushing everyone away. With the help of medication and a routine I can support myself and not heavily rely on others for emotional support. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is educate yourself. Find out why your body is reacting the way it is. Understand that if you can’t fall asleep it’s because stress hormones are whirring around your body. 

But most importantly, look after yourself. You only have one body so treat it well, and with the respect it deserves. Feed it wholesomely, it deserves that donut for all the work you do. Sleep, and if you cannot sleep, rest. Let your body relax. Shelter it. To be able to develop you need these things, and deserve them.