Moderate stress can be helpful or even necessary. Excessive stress can kill. Sadly, many contemporary men and women find themselves stressed to the breaking point. Demanding jobs, family responsibilities, emotional turmoil, and poor coping skills all combine to feel overwhelmed, unsettled, and never-finished. This feeling, referred to as being stressed, can deplete a person of energy, enthusiasm, and joy.

Being stressed causes or contributes to many (if not most) physical and emotional illness. Many individuals are not fully aware of how stressed they are and how much damage their stress does.

Stress signs are unique to each individual. So too are the symptoms. However there are some experiences common to many stressed individuals. Look through the following checklist and if you are experiencing any of these symptoms and consider if they might be caused are aggravated by stress.

• Memory problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sore muscles, aches and pains
• Seeing only the negative
• Anxious or racing thoughts
• Constant worrying
• Moodiness
• Angry
• Frequently frustrated
• Over sensitive to others
• Irritability or short temper
• Agitation, inability to relax
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Nausea, dizziness
• Loss of sex drive
• Over or under eating
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
• Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing, self-injury)

Seven out of ten adults in the United States say they experience stress or anxiety daily, and most say it interferes at least moderately with their lives, according to the most recent ADAA survey on stress and anxiety disorders.

Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/33722/47866/anxiety-exercise

Worry Stress

Susan could not sleep at night. She worried about her mother’s health, job security, and her teenage son staying out too late at night. Her lack of sleep added to her feelings of despair and uncertainty.

Relationship Conflict Stress

Peter felt very alone. His wife was always angry at him. From his point of view, whatever he did was “not good enough.” Peter’s wife blamed him for all the problems they had and would not even consider his point of view. Peter found it difficult to concentrate at work. Much of the day it felt as if his stomach was tied in a knot. His chronic stress was affecting his health and his doctor told him he had to do something about it.

Low Self-esteem Stress

Sandy had always known she was sensitive. As a child she would come to tears quickly. She often felt that even her friends did not respect her. When she spoke, she often felt that the “wrong” words had come out of her mouth. She called herself stupid, incompetent and foolish. Sandy overate, bit her nails, and picked her skin. She was one big ball of stress.

Anger Stress

Manny was on edge. His business was going through difficult times. Finding money to pay his employees was difficult. When home he was prickly. Too much noise, the “wrong” question, or a simple request to help would set-him-off. Everyone in his household feared his anger. No one was surprised when he suffered a heart-attack. His life was so stressful it was just a question of “when.”

Health Stress

Donna was going through a divorce. The litigation, false charges, and financial hardship all made her life difficult. For the first time in her life she developed back pain and skin rashes. Her doctor told her it was caused by stress.

Stress is actually one of the easiest conditions to treat. When the causes of stress are known, a simple and practical plan can be devised to counter it. No two people react the same to any given event. You can choose to respond in stress-free ways to whatever is going on in your life. True, it may be difficult, but success is not measured in absolutes. Even a 20 or 30 percent reduction is significant. If you are stressed, find a practical treatment plan.

Learning how to relax is beneficial in many ways. Thousands of people have learned to relax when facing difficult situations. They have learned how to enjoy life, rather than feel overwhelmed and distressed. Those people who have mastered the art of relaxation report increased pleasure and contentment with their lives.

When you live a relatively stress-free life, you maximize your health, wealth and happiness potential. Relaxed individuals are easy to be around and generate positive feelings. As your level of relaxation rises, so will your relationship success. The benefits of living a relaxed lifestyle are enormous.

Untreated and unchallenged stress can erode a person’s wellbeing. Health, relationships, self-esteem, and more will be injured. Like high blood pressure, stress is a silent killer. Sadly, many people don’t realize how stressed they are until it is too late. Countless individuals have aged prematurely and/or died an early death because of excessive stress.

Psychologist Connie Lillas uses a driving analogy to describe the three most common ways people respond when they’re overwhelmed by stress:

Foot on the gas

An angry or agitated stress response. You’re heated, keyed up, overly emotional, and unable to sit still.

Foot on the brake

A withdrawn or depressed stress response. You shut down, space out, and show very little energy or emotion.

Foot on both

A tense and frozen stress response. You “freeze” under pressure and can’t do anything. You look paralyzed, but under the surface you’re extremely agitated.

Source: http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm