Almost everyone experiences stress; some is beneficial and, in small amounts, it can even help motivate or push an individual to perform better under pressure. Past a certain point, though, too much stress is not helpful and might cause health problems and affect a person’s productivity, relationships and general quality of life. An individual under too much stress might find himself or herself feeling the symptoms in all areas of life: mentally, emotionally, physically and behaviorally. Some common symptoms that might be associated with too much stress are memory problems, a short temper, more frequent illnesses and sleeping too much.
Every system in the body is disrupted when under too much stress, and it is important for one to recognize the symptoms of being overwhelmed by it. Some of the first symptoms might be felt mentally, with episodes of forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating. Going along with this might be periods of indecisiveness and fuzzy thinking. The body’s response to stress is to dump hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to quickly enable an individual to flee or fight. When, over a period of time, too much stress causes a chronic excess level of stress hormones in the body, it becomes progressively more difficult for the brain to think as quickly.
These same stress hormones will affect the body’s response to emotions. Moodiness, crying, depression or general feelings of unhappiness and a lack of interest in life are common emotional symptoms brought about by excessive stress. At the same time, some individuals might encounter almost the opposite in symptoms and, instead, experience feelings of agitation, excitability and an inability to relax in response to too much stress.
Behavioral symptoms also might be a sign that the body has exceeded its ability to tolerate more stress. Again, the symptoms can vary from person to person and might actually be the opposite, depending upon the individual. Some individuals might begin eating either too much or too little and, then, either gain or lose weight in response to high levels of stress hormones. Sleep patterns might be disrupted, with one individual sleeping too much while another might suffer from insomnia. Damage might be done to relationships by either increased conflict or violence.
A chronic overexposure to stress hormones might also produce noticeable physical symptoms as a warning sign of too much stress. More frequent illnesses such as colds are a common symptom because stress affects immunity. Rapid heartbeat, chest pains, fatigue and a loss of interest in sex are other signs and symptoms that the body is overwhelmed by stress.