8 Signs & Symptoms of Stress (What is Stress?)
Often times when we talk about stress, we talk about it from a mental perspective.
It's great that we are talking about it, but were missing a big piece which is how the BODY is influenced by stress.
What does it look like to hold stress in your body?
People often think "I'm not stressed" meanwhile their shoulders feel like rocks. Your body can still be stressed even if you think you aren't.
Most people aren't self aware enough to be able to process how stressed they truly are.
Our society and the way it is set up puts a lot of different burdens on our shoulders (literally).
Feeling stress or having stress on your body is a way that your body communicates "I don't feel safe".
Your job is to figure out what is the thing that you don't feel safe around.
I took a couple weeks off of writing here in the Jo Journal.
And honestly, it was because I was stressed.
I was feeling the symptoms of stress like changes in digestion, breathing & sleep patterns.
However, I wouldn't really say I was mentally stressed. I didn't feel like there was any reason for me to feel this way, but I did.
I have definitely struggled with stress most of my life. Even though I wouldn't say it influences me in what I set out to achieve in my life.
My stress influences me more on how I physically feel everyday.
Over the past few years I have worked to create ways to manage my stress. I have also changed my schedule day to day to better suit my needs.
It's a process and I'm no where near where I want it to be yet but I can already tell that these changes are benefitting me.
Changing our environments is a big piece when it comes to stress. If we can't change our environment right away, we need tools to manage our stress.
Nervous System regulation has become a popular topic lately. People treat it like it's some mystery solution.
It's about being aware of your body's needs. Then once you get better at knowing your needs, then your body will get better at regulating itself.
The goal isn't to eliminate stress, its always going to be there.
In my eyes, the goal is to create a life that supports my needs. One that doesn't keep piling on stress and responsibilities.
Not that I dont want responsibilities, because I do. However, I want the right amount that isn't burdening my system all the time.
I believe we have a capacity and level for stress. Unfortunately our societal system is constantly putting us over that threshold.
What is Stress?
There are 3 components that are beneficial to understand if you're trying to manage your stress.
These 3 things are;
- Cortisol
- Nervous System Regulation, and
- The Vagus Nerve
If you can understand these 3 things, you can manage a lot of your stress on your own.
I do want to put in here, that if you know what you need to do, but struggling to actually do it, there may be a reason. Look into trapped emotions or boundaries you need to create in your life (with yourself or others). Look deeper into what's holding you back. It's usually more than lacking motivation.
1. Cortisol
Cortisol is a hormone that gets released when we are stressed. It is released by the adrenal glands that sit on your kidneys.
This hormone is important because it tells your body to react when in a fight or flight situation.
The problem is that continually releasing cortisol gets you stuck a fight or flight pattern. This prevents you from being in the rest and digest pattern.
The other challenge I have seen is that because cortisol is a hormone, it also affects other hormones.
Our hormones are all influenced by each other, if one is high or low, it can change the other hormone levels as well.
If you are having hormone symptoms, cortisol and stress is a really good place to start and look at.
I had a client who was struggling with stress, menopause symptoms & early stages of osteoarthritis.
I suggested she talk to her naturopath about her cortisol levels. To see what she could do nutritionally to support her system.
Once she addressed her cortisol issues, her symptoms decreased. This allowed her to start a better routine to manage her stress.
Cortisol can be a huge influence and there are many things you can look at to help regulate the levels. Things like;
- nutrition
- reducing stimulants (ie. coffee, smoking, etc.)
- better sleep patterns
- breath work & meditation
- getting outside in nature
Find tools that work for you!
2. Nervous System Regulation
I feel like people talk about nervous system regulation like it's a thing we should have to impose on our body.
In some ways thats kind of true? But really, nervous system regulation is something that your body should be able to do on it's own.
The problem we face currently as a society is that we are inundated with stress. We experience life as a stressful event and then our system never gets to rest.
Your nervous system then will get used to being in a stressed state and lose its ability to adapt. It no longer knows how to be restful & calm.
This is why we have to teach ourselves nervous system regulation.
You're nervous system is learning how to adapt to stress again.
You're re-learning the signs of stress.
Once you teach your system how to regulate again, it becomes more natural. You will get the warning signs again that it is time to rest.
In some ways it feels like you become more sensitive to things. Really, it's you noticing what caused you stress in the first place.
Now you're aware of the signs your body was always showing you.
I speak on things you can do to regulate your nervous system in this journal entry here.
3. The Vagus Nerve
Once you know how to influence the vagus nerve, you will start to feel more calm.
The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, it is part of the rest and digest system.
By influencing this nerve you can induce a relaxed feeling.
You can "treat" the vagus nerve yourself by;
- breath work,
- eating a healthier diet,
- humming or gargling, and
- exercise.
The better our vagus nerve functions, the less stress on our body.
This will help us adapt to stress better & also reduce our stress levels.
Chronic states of stress reduce our ability to heal, relax & recover.
Stress isn't bad but we do need to be able to adapt to it.
Most people aren't aware of their stress levels, and if they are, they don't always know how to combat it.
Stress is the number one thing I see in my clinic as a root cause for a lot of dis-ease & symptoms.
It relates to all our different bodies;
- mental,
- physical,
- emotional and,
- spiritual.
Signs & Symptoms of Stress:
- Overwhelm
- Fatigue
- Poor sleep
- Holding tension/tightness in body
- Irritable
- Digestive problems like constipation or diarrhea
- Feeling sick, dizzy or faint
- Headaches, etc.
**Bonus symptom for the ladies; Changes in menstrual cycle and symptoms.
By reducing our stress we can live a peaceful, more enjoyable life.
We will experience;
- less mental chatter,
- little to no symptoms in our bodies, and
- no longer feel overwhelmed by how we feel day to day.
A healthy body is one of reduced stress and a better ability to adapt when stress is around.
I hope you found something useful in this weeks Journal.
If you're looking for ways to reduce your stress levels, you can look here.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
All the best on your healing journey.
- Jo
If you're needing support along your health journey, here's how you can work with me.
1:1 Manual Osteopathic Treatment (in person): We will go through an assessment and treatment based on your needs & goals.
