The first symptoms

Many times stress can be confused with simple tiredness, headache or irritability. As part of the same mechanism, we can become insensitive and unable to be aware of the degree of stress and overload that our body may be suffering. Therefore it is very important to learn to identify the first signs before our body presents more serious diseases. The goal is to be more sensitive and alert to the signals that tell us when we should pause or do a 180° turn to change our lifestyle.

Stress sustained over days, weeks, months, or even years; Over time it will begin to cause various symptoms, the most common may be:

• gastritis
• colitis
• insomnia
• high blood pressure
• palpitations
• neurodermatitis
• alopecia (hair loss)
• chronic tiredness
• back pain
• nervousness
• irritability
• anxiety
• depression

It is important to pay attention to these symptoms because they are the alert messages that the body sends us to warn us that it is carrying an excessive load of tension. The fact of presenting at least two of these symptoms indicates that our body is not in balance. If we do not pay attention to these symptoms, stress will continue to affect our body over time, causing more acute diseases that are difficult to treat. We mention some of them:

• gastric ulcer
• metabolic disorders (weight gain or loss)
• heart and cardiovascular problems (hypertension)
• kidney disorders
• diabetes
• autoimmune-type diseases
• cancer
• degenerative mental illnesses (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's)
• psychological disorders
• compulsive behaviors (addictions)
• decreased libido

Self-evaluation

Another way to identify if we could suffer from stress syndrome is by identifying the most common situations that generate stress. We present the following questionnaire that will help you evaluate your level of stress. Take your time to reflect on each question and check the box(es) that apply to you. At the end you can see your evaluation and our comments.

Questions:
1. I suffer from any of these symptoms: headache, tiredness, digestive disorders (gastritis, colitis).	Yes
2. I am very irritable, I get angry easily, noises from the street or even the laughter of children annoy me.	Yes
3. I suffer from a sleep disorder: I sleep less than 6 hours or I find it difficult to fall asleep or I wake up in the early morning and I can no longer fall asleep deeply.	Yes
4. Recently getting infections easily, respiratory tract, stomach, etc.	Yes
5. I suffer from nervous tics, palpitations or muscle spasms.	Yes
6. I almost never exercise, I am a sedentary person.	Yes
7. I am overweight, anorexia or have an eating disorder.	Yes
8. I am overwhelmed by my workload (I am constantly thinking about problems at work, I bring work to the office, I answer phone calls to solve problems outside of my working day).	Yes
9. I don't have enough money to cover my expenses, I live with debts.	Yes
10. I am a single mother or father.	Yes
11. I am in charge of a sick or disabled family member.	Yes
12. Frequent use of alcohol, cigarettes or drugs.	Yes
13. I feel that life has no meaning, I feel insignificant and a failure.	Yes
14. I have some kind of phobia like fear of death, open or closed spaces, animals, etc.	Yes
15. I am a lonely person, I distrust people.	Yes
16. Everything is going from bad to worse, the world is on the verge of collapse, I wish I could run away from this situation.	Yes

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