Due to the busy daily grind and all the obligations that come with it, you often have a lot on your mind these days. When tensions build, you may experience a sense of stress . If you don’t handle this properly, you can become stressed. Discover the symptoms of stress and what you can do about it yourself.
When are you Stressed?
You are stressed when you are overloaded by multiple things happening in your life at the same time. Examples of possible causes of stress are the high pressure at work or unpleasant events that occur in your private life.
Overwhelm does not necessarily equate to negativity. For example, positive changes in your life can also cause stress. Just think of moving house, having a baby or starting a new job.
Symptoms of stress
Overstrain manifests itself in various symptoms. These can be both psychological and physical complaints. We speak of stress when you experience at least three of the following complaints:
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- crying fits
- Concentration problems
- Forgetfulness
- Headache
- palpitations
- Dizziness
- Stomach upset
The symptoms of stress are similar to other conditions, such as burnout or depression. However, there are a number of differences between the three. But how do you know for sure which one you are dealing with?
Are you stressed or do you have a burnout?
There is a thin line between being stressed and having a burnout. This is because a burnout is often a result of being overworked. Experiencing a burnout has a greater impact on your body and mind. For example, you feel very exhausted. We speak of a burnout if the complaints persist for more than six months
Are you depressed or stressed?
Although there is a link between stress and depression, the two are different from each other. When you are stressed, you have taken too much on your fork or too much is expected of you. This rushed feeling will pass after you take a period of rest. With depression you experience a strong feeling of gloom that lasts for at least two weeks. Taking rest is not enough to get rid of it. Find out more about depression.
What to do in case of stress?
The treatment of stress proceeds in three phases. These phases are a step-by-step plan for the recovery process. We explain the phases for you:
- Understand and accept
- Coming up with causes and solutions
- Execute Solutions
Only when you understand and accept that you are stressed can you take action to recover. During the first phase, you map out which activities you will continue to perform (partially) and which ones you should stop doing. For example, some people temporarily stop working and others reduce their hours. You do not have to do this alone, but can be supervised by your general practitioner, a mental health worker or company doctor.
In the second phase you have to list the problems that are causing all the tension. How can you deal with this tension and which solutions are best suited to this? By mapping this out for yourself, you can focus on tackling solutions.
The last phase is all about implementing the devised solutions. In addition to minimizing the problems, you also learn to deal with tension better at the same time. The problems become clearer faster, so that you act differently on the tension. You learn to be one step ahead of yourself.
How long does stress last?
How long it lasts depends on the situation and the person. In most cases, the recovery process takes about 11 weeks. The total period of being overstrained is longer, because you often only discover that you are overstrained after a few weeks or even months. It is important to take your recovery process seriously and to actively deal with it. This will prevent you from becoming overstrained again.
Bring peace to your life
You get stressed out faster than you think. Before you know it, your to-do list is full again and everything is expected of you. Bring peace back into your life by communicating openly to the people around you and guard your boundaries in this. In this way you keep a grip on your life and you experience more peace.
