Recognizing stress

Q: What are the warning signs of stress?

A: Many symptoms are often associated with stress, coming either in response to a long-term stressful lifestyle or to short-term stressful events. See how many symptoms you’ve seen in colleagues, students and yourself.

Unusual voice volume … Nervous tics or habits (tapping, etc … Vibration feeling (like a motor running) … Laryngitis … Frequent headaches … Migraine headaches and symptoms … Numbness in extremities … Use of combative gestures (punching or chopping the air) … Use of sarcasm … Use of exaggeration in speech … Hostile language … Blowing up/loss of temper … Losing perspective (making a mountain out of a molehill) … Unusual amount of blinking or yawning … Repeated lateness … Repeated forgetfulness … Unusual heart feelings like tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) … Rigid thinking, dogmatism …Sudden weight change … Loss of normal bowel regularity … Excessive illness/frequency of colds … Allergies or rashes … Breathing problems (shortness of breath, out of breath, asthma) … Misperceptions (failing to hear or see accurately) … Sudden change in diet (going on a food binge or suddenly focusing on one “favorite” food) … Accident proneness (dropping things, bumping into things) … Inattentiveness or distractibility (daydreaming, inability to focus on what’s happening) … High or low irritability (either everything or nothing bothers the person) … Regression (returning to old behavior habits).

Interpreting this list

Anybody may have several of these “symptoms” at a given moment without having a problem. Each of these items can have many causes other than stress. But a combination of several signs can suggest overload. If in doubt, see a physician or mental health practitioner.

If you experience a clear pattern of stress symptoms, your inner self is sending you a vital message. Re-evaluate your lifestyle and make changes.