A spike in activity and concentration makes a productive day. If you’ve had tons of these recently, this piece might just be for you. The modern-day exposes your mind and body to stress-provoking factors. From tight deadlines to excess screentime to FOMO, life may seem fast-paced. Here are ten things that could make you go “It’s not me, it’s the stress at the decision wheel.”
Little goes my way
If you notice your mood going downhill quicker recently, run through a mental list of what might be causing you stress. Frustration is a common reaction to hyperactivity of the brain. When things don’t go your way, a negative reaction could set off.
It could take the face of your partner, colleague, kids, or even a stranger. If you find yourself getting unusually impatient at mistakes or disruptions that you’d otherwise handle with a smile, stress could be an active catalyst.
Why was I in this room again?
A human brain, at the end of the day, is nothing but humane. Mistakes are prone, regardless of how hard one may try to veer off it. When you have an endless list of tasks to cover throughout the day, feeling overwhelmed is a natural outcome.
Attention spans in the present day are highly limited. It feeds into questioning behaviours. For instance, most people open a cabinet only to forget what they were looking for or walk into a room to wonder what the visit intended. The frequency of this situation begs concern and attention.
Window shopping turns into exceeded credit limits
Emotional fulfilment is popular among modern aspirations, even if the people themselves don’t say so on a conscious level. Shopping compulsively can fall under both unintentional and purposeful actions. However, it is valid either way as it offers a believable delusion of emotional comfort to the shopper.
It could be as simple as visiting your local mall in your spare time and returning with handfuls of bags despite promising yourself only a coffee. Along with stress, it is a coping mechanism for suppressed emotions and anxiety.
Running out of snacks
Whether it’s midnight binges or restlessly stuffing yourself, stress runs under the surface of both. It refers to eating faster and more frequently. Here, food disguises itself as a solution to an emotional void or is popularly framed as “eating your worries away.”
Of course, it doesn’t work, which is how the cycle continues in the illusion that someday it will. Watch out for signs of frequent binges, having to run errands more often, or seeing if it follows with an easy afterthought. Talking about what bothers you could lift a weight off your shoulders.
Hopping onto the next big thing
The world you live in is stuck in forward motion. Jumping from one thing to another is an undeniable sign of progress in the right circumstances. However, it could deprive one of stability completely.
It is in human nature to chase stability in one sense or the other. A drastic lack of points may harbour unresolved emotions into stress. If you find it hard to hold down a job, fix your roots in one place, or make long-term commitments and this bothers you, stress could be a responsible agent.
Upscaling the miles
Exercise falls under stress-busters more so than it does under its symptoms. Physical stimulation triggers the production of happy neurotransmitters in your bloodstream. Besides maintaining health, working out encourages a positive attitude.
These facts make it all the more addictive and hence, a coping mechanism. If you or someone you know has tightened their schedule or raised their miles recently, stress may be the culprit. Look out for high discomfort to confirm it.
Headphones plugged in too long
A common side-effect of stress is sensory overload. If you find yourself leaning on your music buddy far too often to the point where your ears feel weird without it, it may be time to take a step back and think.
There could be something you’re avoiding thinking about or the stress could be making you too anxious to deal with it. Studies suggest that 1.7 percent of people suffer from hearing loss due to headphones or earphones.
Hothead
Anger is a secondary emotion by its nature. It implies that another emotion is the main reason behind it. Being stressed can fuel anger and harm relations outside of yourself, especially when someone’s not inherently aggressive.
Chemicals released during stress negate the otherwise positive surroundings. If you have uncharacteristically frequent outbursts at little things, it may be time to dissociate and look after your emotional well-being.
Taking hydration too seriously
Of course, drinking water is crucial. An average person consumes 8 cups of water a day. While it boosts brain activity and helps you stay focused, notice it if your bottle runs out quicker on days you’re stressed.
In fact, this may lead to frequent trips to empty your bladder. It’s a tell-tale sign of nervousness. Give your body the time to catch up instead. Evaluate what’s bothering you and make sure you’re eating.
Switching between phone applications
Stress can not only chip off a chunk of your focus, it can make you restless. In the digital age where phones are on at all times, deciding on what to do on it can be irksome. Most times, you don’t even want to use it.
It hints at an underlying issue. Screen Time only makes stress worse. The display glare makes one vulnerable to emotional distress. Rotating between three or more applications until you go back to where you started is a sign to slow down.
In A Nutshell
The first step to solving a problem is recognizing one when you see it. Stress speaks many languages and it’s important to realise when it is sneaking its way into your life. Thankfully, stress is treatable and highly manageable with just a tad more consideration. Get in touch with your hobbies or healthy ways to relax. Cheers to a stress-buster week!
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