Stress. We can't escape it, we can't embrace it and contrary to popular memes that coast the Web or sound-effect laden TV serial scenes, the average woman facing above average stress situations isn't on a perpetual rager.
Think about it—you may have felt like tearing your hair out but you stopped short from actually ripping out the clumps. You fantasized about blowing your idiot colleague's head off with a 12-gauge shotgun but settled for a glacial glare.
Let's face it, as women we internalise stress…A LOT. And without a safety valve outlet it builds over time, till the cortisol starts to wreck havoc in our bodies. By the time the chest pains and perpetual runny tummy begin, the stress has taken hold. But before you get there, our bodies send subtle signs, which we tend to miss.
If you're regularly feeling the ones below, you may want to make time to relax.
1. You've got recurring weird dreams.
Not to be confused with the occasional nightmare, Rosalind Cartwright, PhD from Rush University Medical Center says that dreams typically become more positive in deep, restful sleep so you tend to wake up in a good mood. When you’re stressed, your sleep is fitful with constant breaks, which causes less pleasant or even downright unpleasant dream imagery.
2. You've got period pain from hell.
Or during your PMS phase you’re extremely irritable and a tad homicidal. While it's normal to feel bloated and grumpy, extreme reactions and pain are usually because cortisol disrupts your hormonal balance. The good news is (though you might not want to hear it) that exercise can soothe both your temper and your cramps.
3. Your teeth hurt.
You wake up in the morning feeling like you got punched in the face—tingling teeth, a sore jaw, a stiff neck or permutation combinations of all three. When you’re stressed you involuntarily grind your teeth at night which gives rise to the sucker-punch morning mouth.
4. You can time your Sunday 7pm headaches like clockwork.
You're done with a really tough week and are looking forward to doing absolutely nothing on the weekend. Out of the blue you get a blinder of a headache that just wont go away, no matter what. Here's the bad news— a sudden, sharp drop in stress levels (or a spike) can trigger a migraine says Dr Todd Schwedt, director of the Washington University Headache Center. It's also the cause for Sunday evening blues.
5. You're forgetting stuff…a lot.
You're too young to have early-onset Alzheimer's, but you still can't for the life of you remember where you put your damn keys! Frequently forgetting simple things like where you put something or failing to return calls or not remembering appointments could be brought on by prolonged stress which diminishes your memory and can shrink the hippocampus—a key memory center in the brain.
What to do:
See your doctor: It's essential to take a stress test before the damage gets worse
Unplug: Take a day off and don't answer emails or check social media
Call your mom: Renewing close bonds brings down cortisol levels
Hug: A pillow, your dog or your significant other
Meditate: Calming your mental chaos helps immensely
You Should Also See: What your posture says about you
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