10 Signs Your Stress Is Out of Control–And What You Can Do About It

//  by 

I get slightly amused/slightly annoyed when people say to me, “Oh, you’re a yoga teacher? That must be sooo relaxing!” I laugh good-naturedly and remind that I’m actually the CEO (Chief Everything Officer) of my own small business. So yeah, I get stressed out, just like everyone on this planet. A little bit of stress is actually good for us, but how do we know if our stress is out of control? Here are 10 signs, and some suggestions for what to do about it.

  1. You often find yourself complaining, “I’m so busy, I’m exhausted, I’m overwhelmed, I’ve got too much on my plate.”
  2. You wake up already feeling anxious about the day ahead.
  3. You feel like there is never enough time to get everything done.
  4. You find yourself sighing throughout the day.
  5. You overreact to minor inconveniences.
  6. You feel like there’s always something more you should be doing (instead of taking a break).
  7. You feel both wired and tired, and can’t turn off your thoughts–especially when you’re trying to sleep.
  8. You don’t remember things like where you left your keys or that word on the tip of your tongue.
  9. You get sick easily.
  10. You feel unmotivated to do the things you used to love to do.

How many of these resonated with you? If it’s 3 or more, chances are you are activating your stress response system more often than you think, which can cause havoc with your cortisol and other hormone levels. High cortisol can deplete your brain of the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine, give you insomnia, make you gain weight–especially belly fat—and increase blood pressure, anxiety, mood swings, food addictions and brain fog (not to mention the risk of heart attacks and strokes). Are any of these sounding familiar to you? Please hear me when I say YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS! Unfortunately, our culture and our capitalist society want us to believe that this is normal, and what we should expect. That is why it is so important to take time to reflect on, and then learn how to change, our ingrained beliefs and habits. You can take all the bubble baths and drink all the wine in the world to relieve stress, but unless you spend time exploring the underlying causes of your stress, nothing will ultimately change.

I took the time to reflect on these things myself when my stress levels were getting out of control a few years ago, and came up with some solutions that have helped me greatly. I knew that others could benefit from these solutions as well, so I put them all together in my self-paced ‘Self-Care MasterClass’ online course. This course will help you reflect on the obstacles that are standing in the way of you taking better care of yourself, as well as give you practical advice for how to cut out excess stress in your life. And because I know how helpful it is to have encouragement and people who support the inner work that you’re doing, I am your accountability partner throughout the course. So if you know that your stress levels are out of control, don’t wait any longer! You deserve to feel good. You deserve to thrive, not just survive. Get started today. The course is only $19 for a limited time.

What Else You Can Do:

  • Join my upcoming ‘Yoga Chill’ 8-week Online Course to slow down, cool off and relax with the soothing, calming yoga sequences and breathwork included each week.
  • If you’re an HSP (highly sensitive person) like me, I also highly recommend checking out the Brain Training course on the Sensitive Empowerment website.