UPDATED 03/17/2025
National Stress Awareness Day is one of those quasi holidays that some of us celebrate. I do because I’m on a mission to help others live their lives more fully. So today, we’re talking about stress like it’s not a taboo topic.
Let’s Measure Your Stress Levels
Start by answering these questions to get your base level:
- Over the course of a typical day, from one to 10, how would you rank your stress level?
- What are some of the typical symptoms you experience when you’re feeling stressed?
If you’re having trouble answering these questions, you’re not alone. Many of us don’t have a good handle so we have zero stress awareness. But it’s time to change that. Stress not only harms our minds and bodies, but it ages us too. So knowing how stress affects you increases your stress awareness and helps you develop better coping mechanisms. With stress, you may experience any of the following:
- Irritability – It’s when we get angry way too quickly, tend to have lower tolerance levels, little to no patience, and say and do things we don’t necessarily mean.
- Headaches – These can happen because we have a chemical imbalance, the sun hits our eyes wrong, or because we have tension in our neck and shoulders.
- Fatigue – This is when we’re tired, overwhelmed, and drained. We generally do not want to deal with the world and we shut ourselves away.
- Difficulty Sleeping – Whether it’s falling asleep or staying asleep, the quality of our sleep stinks.
- Changes in Digestion – You may not want to eat or drink anything, maybe crave an alcoholic beverage, but not want water, and choose things we normally don’t.
- Decreased Sexual Desire – Stress interferes with our desires and can create divides in your relationship.
You might experience symptoms that I don’t have listed here. I have anxious thoughts and sometimes my depression creeps up. Sometimes I feel like there’s a total lack of control. The only way you’ll be able to identify your triggers is to listen to your body and learn how to increase your stress awareness.
How to Increase Your Stress Awareness?
There are many ways to increase the awareness of your stress. The first, and most important is to start paying attention. When you notice a change in your emotions or how you physically feel, stop everything you’re doing and take a second. Taking stock of the changes you experience in your body can help you identify what’s creating the symptoms you’re feeling.
In addition, you can do things like yoga and meditation. Even better, do these congruently. Both practices amplify your senses and make it easier to identify what’s happening for you and to you. If those two things don’t fit your vibe, you could go for a run, take a long walk, clean your house, or even take an art class. Do what makes you feel like you and pay attention while you’re doing it. Self-care and learning what to change takes time and is different for everyone.
Regardless of what you decide to do, at the very least, start paying attention! This alone can help you identify your triggers and boost your stress awareness. As you do, you will learn from those triggers and create coping mechanisms that will save you in the long run!
And if you want more, read my other post about feeling stressed out. You’ll learn more about how time is the biggest enemy of stress and a bit more on how to cope.
