Living in today’s society, you are bound to encounter things that will be stress-inducing either on a daily basis or occasionally. In a recent report by Regus, researchers found that Malaysians have a higher stress level at 63%. This is 10% higher than the global average stress level of 53%. That’s pretty high and most of the stress comes from troublesome traffic, inefficient IT infrastructure and long meetings [1]. Relationships, financial issues and social media problems also add to the stress.
Some of us can take stress as a motivation to be better at our job (good stress), while a number of us let the stress affect us in a negative way, making us feel more tensed and overwhelmed (bad stress). While most of you would brush it off because you are ‘used to it’, being constantly stressed is taking a toll out of you. There’s more to stress that you should be concerned of.
Short-term stress is OK because it keeps you on your feet but long-term stress however can affect you physically, mentally, socially and your behavior in a not-so-good way [2]. Though all of us handle stress differently and some signs of stress are from medical conditions, it is good to be aware on whether you are showing signs of it so you can manage it before it gets worse.
How do you know if you are stressed out? See if you have any of these signs:
It is common to exhibit a few of these symptoms already as you have your own daily habits and difficulties. But if you tick off quite a number of these signs, then you might be more stressed than you think. In a way, your body is telling you that it needs some extra TLC. Now that you know how stressed you are, you may find ways to manage it better before the stress does harm to you. You may not be able to control the source of the stress but you can control the way you respond to it [3].
If you already know how to manage your stress, that’s great! But if you need help on ways to de-stress, we have some ideas which you can try out. Hopefully you can find one that can really help you relax.
- Stress Management: Supplements, Dietary Changes & Herbs
- 15 Stress Management Techniques
- 7 Effective Ways to Deal with Fatigue and Stress
- 19 Ways to Reduce the Stress in Your Life
If you or a loved one is overwhelmed and can’t seem to cope with the stress, it is best to talk to your doctor. The stress signs might indicate other health issues so the doctor will be able to help decipher the root problem and recommend you to the right expert for help.
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