10 danger signs of stress (and what you can do about it)

Ever feel like you want to pull over and scream your head off?  We all get insanely busy from time to time, but when stress is overwhelming it can set yourself up for sickness and disease. April is National Stress Awareness Month, and we have a number of all-natural supplements and remedies for reducing stress and anxiety, and some great sale prices to boot!

Over at the BackBay Patch blog, we found a list of  top ten signs that stress is harmful to your health, along with ten positive changes you can make to de-stress your life and improve your well being:

 Here are some of the signs of harmful stress:

1. You have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or you wake up feeling exhausted.
2. You experience a racing heart accompanied by feelings of panic.
3. You worry about your future.
4. You are short with people and have quick, angry reactions to anything negative that happens during the day.
5. You have difficulty concentrating.
6. You don’t feel any enjoyment doing something that you used to love doing.
7. You have an upset stomach regularly and find yourself mindlessly eating sweets or salty foods.
8. You have lower back pain or other pains in your muscles that you didn’t have before.
9. You are forgetful and lose things often.
10. You feel powerless to change your situation.

So, what can you do?

Here is a short list of 10 healthy steps you can take:

1. Acknowledge you have a problem.
2. See your general medical physician for an appointment. Be honest with your doctor about how you’re feeling.
3. Spend 10 minutes a day in peace and quiet.
4. Spend half an hour every day doing something you love. Read, write, watch a funny show, be creative or call someone you love.
5. Ask for help. Reach out to someone you can trust and share how you feel.
6. Exercise. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to move your body.
7. Set up your bedroom so it’s ready for a good night’s rest. If that means buying new sheets, moving out your TV or buying a favorite book to read before bedtime, do it.
8. Meet with a wellness coach or mentor and map out some active steps to move your life in a positive direction.
9. Start writing in a journal. Reach for it anytime you feel a craving for something unhealthy.
10. Have faith. Choose to believe that things will improve, even if you’re not sure how.

Stress can often make us feel trapped and immobile. It often takes one step forward in a positive direction to break the pattern. Start small. Talk to a friend. Find a neighbor you can trust and someone you see often. Share a little about your situation and you may just find that someone you see every day can be a support. Taking that first step can be the change you need to positively change your life!

Source