Four Ways to Identify and Manage Your Stress

Learning to manage stress and anxiety can be extremely difficult, especially if you don’t understand it. It can overwhelm you every day, and it can cause you to feel like you can’t function during the day. Below are some signs that can indicate that you’re suffering from anxiety along with some tips to help you change your approach when dealing with it. Every person and every case of anxiety is different, so there won’t be one right way to recover from bouts of anxiety for everyone. However, you can try out these tips until you find something that works well for you. 

In this article:

1. Identifying Stress
   • 1. You Are Eating Too Much or Too Little
   • 2. You Cannot Sleep
   • 3. You Feel Isolated
   • 4. You Have Headaches All Too Often
2. Managing Stress
   • 1. Exercise
   • 2. Fix Your Sleep Schedule
   • 3. Change Your Diet
   • 4. Therapy

Identifying Stress

1. You Are Eating Too Much or Too Little

When you are eating too little, it is often because you simply don’t have the energy or appetite to eat. People who are stressed out on a regular basis might forget to eat meals or stop eating altogether. This should be a red flag for you, especially if you notice weight loss.

When you are eating too much, therapists will often say you are eating your feelings. You may notice that you’re snacking a lot between meals and that you’ve gained weight. It’s important to try to stop eating outside of the times that you are truly hungry. While it might make you feel better in the moment, food cannot relieve stress as a long-term solution.

2. You Cannot Sleep

If you can’t sleep, you may find yourself lying awake with feelings of anxiety for hours at a time. It might feel like you can’t keep a consistent sleep schedule. You might also find yourself waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep, leaving you tired during the day.

3. You Feel Isolated

When you are stressed out, you often withdraw from friends and family because you just don’t have the energy to be social. Plus, you might notice friends approaching you and asking what they can do to help you. When people note that you seem to be distant, it is time to make a change.

4. You Have Headaches All Too Often

People who get chronic headaches are often feeling this pain because they are not sleeping or eating well. Your body will respond with strong headaches that are caused by stress, and you can feel the stress in your temples or around the back of your neck.

Eye strain can contribute to stress headaches. Eye strain is often caused by staring at a computer screen for too long, especially when you’re tired. This can happen when you feel like you can’t take breaks from working, which contributes even more to the stress you might be feeling.

Managing Stress

You don’t have to deal with chronic stress. Here are some ways to manage your stress.

1. Exercise

When you start to exercise, you will feel a surge in energy that often eases some of your anxiety. It can help you get your day started on a positive note and help you to stay energized for the rest of the day, so you won’t feel inclined to nap as often.

2. Fix Your Sleep Schedule

Getting back on a regular sleep schedule can drastically reduce your stress levels. Set a bedtime for yourself, and do your best to stick to it. Before bed, avoid looking at backlit screens and doing physically stimulating activities. Do your best to relax, whether that means taking a warm bath before bed or meditating, so that you can fall asleep easier.

3. Change Your Diet

Changing your diet can help to reduce the stress in your life. Aim for foods like lean proteins and vegetables, and avoid processed foods and sugars. This can help you stay energized throughout the day and can help to reduce stress and anxiety.

4. Therapy

Therapy is a good place for you to learn coping mechanisms, but you need to do what your therapist asks you at every session. Some may have a hard time following their therapists’ instructions, which ultimately makes treatment ineffective.

The anxiety and stress that you feel every day must be recognized and dealt with as soon as possible. When you see the signs of anxiety, you need to make changes that will benefit you. You can eat healthy food, talk to your therapist, or go for a run so that you can start feeling more relaxed.

For additional tips to improve your health and your life, check out more of our articles.