Recognizing Your Reaction to Stress

The first key to managing stress is learning to recognize when you’re under stress and what triggers it. To do this, try to be aware of how you feel each day. If you notice your heart racing or your muscles tightening, your body may be responding to stress. Ask yourself why. Then write down your answer. To keep the process going, make a list of all the things that trigger stressful feelings.

Stress affects your body: When you're stressed, you may experience physical changes like headaches, an upset stomach, tense muscles, rapid heartbeat, and even skin problems. These symptoms tend to go away when the stress is over. But long-term stress can affect your overall health. You may get sick more often and take longer to recover. It may even worsen other health problems, such as high blood pressure.

Stress affects your mind: Mental stress makes it hard to concentrate. You may feel unfocused, impatient, or more emotional. You may have trouble sleeping. Instead of counting sheep until you sleep, you may be wide awake counting troubles. That's because mental stress affects how you think and feel. You can get stuck in a loop of worry.

Stress affects your actions: Long-term stress can lead to negative actions. You might yell at your spouse or withdraw from people who care about you. It can also make you "shut down," so you end up doing nothing at all. Some people seek relief through drinking, smoking, or drug use, which can create new problems.

Each person's reaction to stress is different. So it's important to recognize your own stress profile. What are your body, mind, and actions telling you? Knowing how you react to stress will help you learn how to manage it.