Cube Think - Healthy at Your Desk

Fighting Stress at Your Desk
Part # 1 ==> What are the Signs of Stress?

By: Doug Brimmer
Posted: Saturday, July 31, 2010

It has to be a normal reaction - you read that the Stock Market is tanking, that unemployment is rising, that auto sales are plummeting, you hear rumors of lay-offs in your company, your boss is asking for more and more while you are getting less and less, and your child's tuition payment is coming due - that's right, you are getting Stressed Out! How can you not get stressed out during these economic times? Life is stressful enough when the economy is stable, but we are in uncharted waters and preparing to get our families in "batten down the hatches" mode and that is down right stressful!

What I am surprised about is that I have not heard many stories in the news media about the increasing Stress in peoples lives. Everyone I know says they are stressed and I am sure that you hear the same comments. So if the news media is not providing anything, I decided to look for information myself.

I have done some research on the web and found thousands of articles about Stress. In fact, there were so many articles that I was getting stressed out about which ones to look at! The articles run the gamut of information - some are long others short, some highly technical others layman speak, and all focusing on different areas about Stress. Once again I was getting stressed out!

Rather than just opening each article, I decided to take a more methodical approach and try to learn more about Stress in increments. This is a pretty big elephant and you cannot eat it in just one bite. Over the next few weeks I will be looking for articles that look at Stress from the following angles:

1.) What are the Signs of Stress?
2.) How does Stress Affect Your Mind and Body?
3.) What can you do when you are feeling Stressed Out?
4.) What can you do to Reduce Stress?

1.) What are the Signs of Stress?

Surprisingly, I did not find as many articles as I expected that plainly list Signs of Stress. Many sites focus more on coping with Stress and we will discuss this at a later date. The ones that I did review were helpful and listed specific mental and physical symptoms that are often a result of increased Stress. Please note that these symptoms can also be caused by other problems, not just Stress. Please consider consulting with your Physician if you experience these symptoms.

As I reviewed the articles that list Signs of Stress, I took some notes that I want to share with you. Here is what I found:

Mental Symptoms
- Increased Feeling of Anxiety
- Increased Moodiness
- Increased Irritability
- Reduced Ability to Concentrate
- Feeling Very Tired
- Trouble Sleeping
- Reduced Interest in Work

Physical Symptoms
- Headache
- Dry Mouth
- Increase Heartbeat
- Trouble Breathing
- Upset Stomach
- Frequent visits to the Bathroom
- Sweating Palms
- Muscle Tension
- Headaches
- Social withdrawal
- Loss of sex drive
- A need for Alcohol or Drugs to Get

Listed below are sites that may be helpful to you when learning about Signs of Stress. Knowing the Signs of Stress will not affect the reasons why you are stressed, however, this can help you down the path of learning what you can do when you are feeling Stressed Out. If you have recommendations for other sites to list, we would appreciate it if you would forward them to us at comments@cubethink.com.

Article: Stress and How to Manage It ==> What is Stress?
From: ehealthmd.com

Article: Symptoms of Stress
From: abc-stress.com

Article: Managing Stress
From: cmhc.utexas.edu