I've come to the conclusion that I do not understand when I am under stress. Is everyone that way? Can we all not see the signs? I'm not talking a full-blown attack of stress caused by a stressful situation. I am talking about suble stress developed over time. I am thinking particulaly of stress that builds up because of situations in our lives such as relationships or the lack thereof or of the jobs we take (even though they might not be particularly stress on the face of it.)
Perhaps we can only perceive our stress state when others observe it for us initially. Maybe it is too easy to ignore subtle signs of stress build up. Ultimately it all leads to bad mental and physical health.
I'm aware of the obvious stress. Like for instance, I fully enjoyed working at home the last two days, away from certain colleagues, but knowing I had to go back today, I wake up with a full blown "sick" headache. doh.
ReplyDeleteBut last week I experienced suble stress. The only indicator was the grinding of my teeth which has led to a tooth hurting which now I'm trying to soothe. I got a picture of me during that time. A horse with blinders, focusing only on finishing that row, the row being the Thanksgiving holiday. Gee that sucks, being stressed by what should be fun.
I've had moments when I realized how much stress had accumulated. Part of what hurts is when you realize how much of it's out of your control. It's really true, that the thing you have the most control over is your attitude. Sorry for how can-do that sounded. Right now, I'm stressing over an upcoming meeting with my ex. Wish I could send someone in my stead.
ReplyDeleteI don't always realize when I'm stressed, but I've finally learned to see some of the signs.
ReplyDeleteWell over all what I am getting is that ultimately no matter how much I think I understand myself there are things that you can't control that relate more to the body than to the mind. That probably makes no sense.
ReplyDeletePost and last comment make perfect sense to me. I was just last night commenting that my body/emotional state is so predictable in many ways, especially when a big break approaches.
ReplyDeleteI always start feeling a bit disoriented because I'm not as busy; I always become less productive; I always put off the to-do-list items; I always feel a bit wistful. But guess what? It doesn't seem to matter that I'm fully conscious (and this took years to even realize what was going on) of what is and will happen. It still happens and it still irritates me. I just sit back and watch.