Raise hands if you have some concerns about your stress level!
According to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), “psychological stress is a particular relationship between the person and the environment that the person appraises as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being.”
Over the years, mental health, a much-ignored topic for a long time, has gained importance and relevance in our lives. Talking about mental health, one cannot deny the significant role of stress in shaping mental health.
In our daily lives, we tend to blame stress without really recognizing the underlying cause of the matter. It is good to know that stress is not a situation; it is our mental or emotional reaction to a specific situation. In other words, our ability to handle a challenging situation plays a significant role in building our mental, physical and cognitive health.
Hence, we must understand our stress physiology and how this is affected. When we are stressed, critical biological systems are triggered that help us respond appropriately to danger; e.g. amygdala hijacking the neural pathways. And fight or flight response (check my previous blog on this)
Stress undoubtedly is a detailed conversation topic involving serious subjects like neurosciences, nervous system, and various brain functions. Today, however, instead of getting into such complexities, I will help you identify your symptoms of too much stress. So that you can take precautions before you end up with overwhelm, fatigue, or even burnout.
Looking at this list, which ones do you experience? Maybe also some that are not on the list. So that you know your symptoms now, think about the strategies you can implement to manage stress when you recognize it next time.
I hope you enjoyed reading and found the information helpful. I would also like to know your thoughts on burnout and your ways of dealing with the same.
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