Signs you’re at a stress breaking point and how to fix them, according to an expert

We’ve all felt stressed before, whether you’re trying to hit a deadline, stuck in traffic or dealing with difficult family members. And while humans are designed to cope with short-term stress, many of us are constantly stressing ourselves out—which can seriously affect your mental, physical, and emotional health.

“The stress response is completely natural,” explains Dr. Claire Plumbly, clinical psychologist and author of Burnout. “When there’s a lot of demand or we feel threatened, our bodies release adrenaline and cortisol that send us into fight or flight mode. A little stress can be really helpful. It can motivate us to act, find that energy. That we didn’t think we had, and helps us do things.

“However, the body is not designed to maintain this condition for long periods of time. Without the organs returning to their normal function (allowing the intestines to digest food or relaxing the muscles) you start to experience cuts and tears. which eventually leads to breakage.

So, what is the breaking point and what are the symptoms?

“The breaking point occurs when the body stops working for us in some way,” says Dr. Plumbly.

“It looks different for everyone, but I’ve had patients come to me after waking up unable to hold a conversation or extend a sentence, or experiencing anxiety attacks and insomnia. In severe cases, health issues due to stress Can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Dr. Claire Plumbley is the author of Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before It Manages You (Now, $17.99, Yellowkite) Image courtesy of Emily Cope
Claire Plumbly is the author of Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before It Manages You

“However, you have to be under a lot of pressure to get to that point. I think of the breaking point as an elastic band – it won’t snap without warning, but if we act on the early signs We can face big problems later.”

Here are the signs to look for:

Physical signs

“Symptoms of too much stress in the body include headaches and back or shoulder pain due to chronic stress on our muscles, as well as a weakened immune system and digestive problems with catching colds easily.

“Many people also get tired, but find it difficult to rest because cortisol in the body interferes with melatonin levels, which is when it’s time to sleep.”

Cognitive symptoms

“Cognitive issues are very common in people on the verge of a breakdown. Our brain is a problem-solving organ, so it is difficult to focus on other things until the problem (such as stress) is resolved. Chronic stress People with depression often have trouble remembering, making decisions, focusing, and focusing on everyday things—especially things unrelated to stress—and feel disconnected from people and activities that previously focused them. .

Emotional symptoms

A picture of a young mother sipping a cup of coffee on a made-up bed while her three daughters play around her.
Each person will show different symptoms before reaching the stress breaking point (Photo: Moment RF / Devin G Photography)

“The dominant emotional experience of the sympathetic nervous system—the one we are when we are stressed—is anxiety and anger. Symptoms include feeling depressed and impatient, experiencing low mood and overreaction to minor annoyances. Actions are included.

behavioral symptoms

“When our body is in fight-or-flight mode, it can look for things to relieve that stress in the short term, which can look like emotional eating, doom scrolling, drinking, procrastination, and taking inspiration. While strong emotions are temporarily debilitating, these behaviors make many of our problems worse in the long run because they often push us further away from our healthy goals and values.

Each person will show different symptoms before reaching the breaking point of stress, but once you recognize the problem it is important to manage how you feel. Dr. Plumbly shares his six tips for reducing stress:

1. Motion

“I teach people to release adrenaline and energy throughout the day to reduce build-up. To do this, you must regularly check how you feel. Is there any stress in your body? Are your thoughts racing? If so, it’s a sign that you’re in high gear to release some energy Downstrokes, cross crawls or butterfly squats, whatever works.

2. Have a deflation routine

“Having a routine of winding down after work and before bed helps shift gears and trains your nervous system to go into a state of relaxation. To help with this, remove or hide reminders of work, such as Throw a blanket over your work space at home or put your laptop away in the closet, change into your evening clothes and disable work-related apps or notifications until morning.

“When it’s time for bed, a healthy routine would include writing down tasks for tomorrow, advanced muscle relaxation to relieve stress, gentle stretching or meditation, and then reading a few pages of a book before bed.”

3. Ring fence time to rest

Woman working on a puzzle at the table in the living room of her modern comfortable home. Girl playing jigsaw puzzle challenge for mental health and relaxing while drinking cup of coffee in lounge at home
Try to regulate your nervous system with relaxing activities such as doing puzzles, running and reading (Credit: Getty /PeopleImages.com)

“Set aside time to do something other than think about what’s stressing you out, and be tough with it. If you start having intrusive thoughts related to problem solving or stress management , remember that you have a choice about whether or not to follow these thoughts.

“When you choose to focus on reprogramming your nervous system with relaxing activities (exercise, crafts, socializing, exercise, etc.) you will have a better capacity for problem solving when you return to the problem. “

Each person will show different symptoms before reaching the breaking point of stress, but once you recognize the problem it is important to manage how you feel. Dr. Plumbly shares his advice for reducing stress:

4. Get an accountant friend and ask for help

“Make a list of the external pressures on you, and the resources or people who are available to help. Often our family, boss, pets, children and friends can pressure us to be busy, but find someone who Make the same commitment to self-care as you do and agree on a way to support each other, such as sending celebratory text messages when you manage to say ‘no’ to a request, or on a date Agree to stop the clock on time and check that you have done so.

5. Arrange with a pet or a person together

“Coordination is the process of one person’s nervous system receiving safety signals from another. Spending quality time with someone, or an animal, who is less stressed can be a good way to co-ordinate, you Helping to feel a little safer and stress-free, going outside in nature can have the same effect.

6. Breathing exercises

“Breathing exercises are the fastest way to consciously access our autonomic nervous system. We have the power to slow down our breathing, which tells our body that the threat has passed and we are safe again.

“Take time to breathe throughout the day, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth for instant relaxation.”

Dr Claire Plumbly is the author Burnout: How to manage your nervous system before it manages you (Out now, £17.99, Yellow Kite)

#Signs #youre #stress #breaking #point #fix #expert

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top