Written by: Emily Joswiak • November 12, 2020• Mental Health

4 Physical Symptoms of Stress To Watch Out For

Prolonged stress is never beneficial. These are four physical symptoms of stress to watch out for and why it’s important that you catch them right away.

If you have regular responsibilities to handle in your daily routine, the chances are good that you’ve experienced stress before. Most of the time, these feelings of anxiousness help drive us to complete tasks that we may not want to. However, when we start to accumulate excessive amounts of stress, it can trigger dangerous reactions in our bodies and threaten our long-term health. These are some of the physical symptoms of stress to watch out for in your daily life so that you can take action to mitigate its effects.

Body Pains

High levels of stress often manifest as physical achiness or even pain. The stressed brain will produce more of the chemical cortisol, which occurs in higher concentrations in individuals who experience these symptoms chronically. Though no one has yet established a direct correlation between increased cortisol levels and pain, this shows that stress can be a contributing factor. In fact, many of those who already have aches and pains report that their symptoms worsen during periods of high stress.

Tiredness

You may also experience an intense feeling of tiredness or fatigue when you’re stressed because of the physical and mental tension you experience over that length of time. When we’re stressed, both our body and mind work overtime to get the body ready to flee the threat of danger. It tenses our muscles and starts producing adrenaline. Staying in this state for long periods can eventually wear us down and leave us feeling incredibly tired.

Sickness

Another common symptom of stress to watch out for is the frequent feeling of sickness. Stress often hinders the effectiveness of our immune system, making it much easier for us to get sick or develop illness-like indicators. Some highly-reported signs include headaches, dizziness, and the feeling of nausea. So if you’re feeling this way semi-regularly, excessive levels of stress might be to blame.

Skin Issues

But, ultimately, prolonged stress will start to show itself in the mirror. Both stress and anxiety affect your skin health by damaging your cells and reducing their ability to hold onto essential nutrients. This can lead to several skin issues, such as more frequent acne breakouts, a dry complexion, and even the start of premature aging. Your skin may also be more prone to rash or infection due to your compromised immune system.

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