Warning signs of stress: Headaches, tense muscles, lack of concentration, and what to do about it

The world is under a lot of stress right now due to the current coronavirus pandemic. This has led to an overall state of disarray, as the world scrambles for a sense of normalcy in these trying times. Couple this with the fact that stress was already a huge problem prior to the health crisis and it’s clear that we have a pretty significant problem on our hands.

So how do we go about addressing this? Well, one of the best things you can do to deal with stress is to get ahead of it before it gets worse. This is why we’ve put together some of the top stress warning signs that you should watch out for. Read on to learn more about these warning signs and hopefully, you’ll learn a few things to help you deal with stress!

1. Headaches

If you’ve been having more frequent headaches that just won’t seem to go away, then it may be your body telling you that it’s experiencing significant levels of stress. CNN states that stress is one of the most common triggers for headaches, with stress sometimes even causing migraines in more serious cases.

Other than addressing the source of your stress, one thing you can do to remedy stress-induced headaches is to keep your body hydrated. Ensuring that your body is properly hydrated while avoiding drinks such as coffee and alcohol will go a long way into preventing stress-related headaches.

2. Tense Muscles

One of the biggest and most obvious signs of stress is when your muscles start to tense up. CNBC’s article on the effects of stress explains that stress can cause adverse effects on your body, as well as take a toll on your mental health.

This happens because stress puts our bodies into survival mode, causing effects such as tense muscles and an increase in heart rate. Stretching can go a long way to easing these effects. Pain Free Working’s post on repetitive stress injuries details that shoulder rotations can relieve the stress and pressure in this area, especially if you’ve been sitting and working for prolonged periods. All you have to do is roll your shoulders up and forward, hold that position for around five seconds, and then release. Do this in the opposite direction as well and you should feel instant relief.

3. Inability to Concentrate

Lastly, have you found it to be increasingly hard to fulfill your daily responsibilities? Health experts from the University of Massachusetts Medical School say that the two are inexplicably linked—when we’re stressed, it becomes a lot harder to focus. This is why working under pressure becomes difficult as we are more susceptible to making basic mistakes, compared to working in a stress-free environment.

Taking a quick break should help you deal with this, as it’ll give you some time to gather your thoughts and let the stress dissipate. A good rule of thumb would be to take a five-minute break for every hour you spend working and you should lessen the overall amount of stress you have in a single workday.

If you’re looking for more articles to help you figure out when your body is telling you that something is wrong, check out our article on ‘What Effect Can Depression Have on Your Body’.

Start a Relationship with An Exceptional Counselor