Mental health articles

The physical symptoms of stress are very varied. You may experience:

feeling tired all the time;

your body feeling heavy and listless;

worsening sleep patterns;

either a poor appetite, or cravings for certain foods: chocolate, junk food, coffee, alcohol;

constipation or diarrhoea;

constantly breaking down into tears;

low sex drive;

nervous habits like nail biting, hair pulling, skin picking, etc.

breathless feelings;

anger;

general malaise and lack of energy;

spots, blemishes, or skin rash;

hard to relax;

muscle tension;

trembling or shaking;

shortness of breath;

feeling sick, or nausea;

pounding heart or racing pulse;

fast breathing;

dry mouth;

hot flushes or chills; feeling sick;

“butterflies” in the stomach;

headaches and/or migraines;

restlessness.

The emotional symptoms of stress are also varied. You may experience:

feeling so low or sad that you want to cry all the time;

feelings of anger or irritation;

depression;

feelings of low self-esteem and of nothing good around you (pessimism);

feeling inadequate or helpless;

loss of interest in friends, activities, social life, etc.;

finding it very hard to make decisions;

low motivation;

loss of all desires;

unable to make contact with friends;

finding emotional expression very hard;

general anxiety;

procrastination (putting off things);

confusion.

Tags: stress, symptoms