Weird dreams

We all know about the more common symptoms of stress. Feeling frazzled and overwhelmed can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

Obviously none of these are good. But stress can also cause some not so common symptoms. Watch for these unusual signs that you may be under too much stress.

Reduce Your Stress

Whether going for a routine health checkup or a visit to the dentist, going to the doctor is near the bottom of many people’s list of desired activities. Nurses pass along these tips for feeling less on edge:

Solitude is Healthy

If you already have a good amount of alone time, or if you’ve changed and simplified your life enough to reduce the chaos and pressure in your life, you may be getting all the alone time you need.

But if your days are filled with coworkers, family, friends, traffic, noise, demands, requests, pressure, schedules, and deadlines, you may want to consider spending a day or two each month by yourself. And this means completely away from your routine everyday distractions that complicate your life.

Stop Worrying

I will start this post with a question, the same question my Mother would always asks me, “Will your worrying help anything?”

I believe that the answer to that question is no! It boils down to this–if we have the power to change anything, then we need to work towards a solution. Why complain and worry when we have the power?

But what if it is out of our control, then all the worry in the world won’t fix or resolve it!

Remember the first paragraph of the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr:

Noel by Josh Groban

I can’t remember a time that I was not in love with music. I think that music can be therapy for what ails you. Music will pump me up when I need a little energy to get those toilets cleaned or the floors scrubbed. Music makes exercising more fun and motivates me–I usually sing and dance my way through all my daily chores.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with new music. I am a big country music girl, but you will find me enjoying a little Gwen Stefani, Pussycat Dolls, or Justin Timberlake– they will keep you moving. Turn off the TV, turn on the music and find your inner singer and dancer.

Put Down the Glass

Like many of you, we receive emails forwarded from computer to computer, state to state, country to country. Some are funny; some are beautiful photos with equally beautiful music; some are advise. Rarely do we know who penned them. Sometimes I imagine an unidentified face, sitting at the computer much like myself, taking the time to write the words, or create the powerpoint.

To be honest, most of these emails I delete, only some do I forward to friends. And rarely do I find one truly thought provoking. Here is one that came across my inbox yesterday that I feel has a thought provoking message that we could all use to help us simplify our lives.

Free of Stress

In Stress Part 1: Categorize that Stress we pointed out some unhealthy ways that we manifest our stress, from addiction to drinking to smoking to emotional outbursts. And we showed you how most stress management techniques fall into 4 categories: Alter, Avoid, Accept, or Adapt. In Stress: Part 2, we’ll discuss some healthy ways to manage and relieve the stress in your life.

As I mentioned in Part 1, finding relief from stress can be a challenge. You must be willing to make a change and desire to work at that change. As the saying goes, “The right road is not always the easy road.” It is easier to wallow away in self pity, and let the stress wash over you. The hard road is to make the change to better your health and peace of mind.