Some signs to know if you’re under too much stress: body aches and pains, chest pain or feeling like your heart is racing, exhaustion or trouble sleeping (insomnia), headaches, dizziness, high blood pressure, tension in the jaw, stomach issues, low sex drive, weak immune system. Of course, all of these symptoms could be related to something else, so make sure you check in with your doctor if you are experiencing many or all of these.

If you’ve ruled out any specific medical issues, then perhaps it is time to handle the stress in a different way:

One good place to start is movement. A short walk, or a decent bike ride, or a long swim. Getting your body moving can help that stress move through you and leave you with a clearer mind to complete the tasks on your list.

Journaling is a wonderful stress reliever, letting all your thoughts and worries out on the page can be very cathartic. Some people even go a step further and burn that page (carefully, outdoors!) to symbolize letting go of the issues/stressors.

Setting realistic and timely goals can help you manage the things you are stressed about. Planning out the next steps gives you a roadmap of where to go next, and the assuredness that nothing is being missed. Completing goals is a good way to motivate yourself to complete more goals.

Taking the time to acknowledge what you have completed and accomplished can boost you into your next action, and avoid many of the pitfalls of stress.

And if these methods aren’t working for you, and you still feel stressed, it may be time to bring in a coach or a therapist to help support you. Asking for help is a sign of strength — knowing you have exhausted all your own resources and looking for an expert to give the assist is part of being a team player in this life. We are not alone. Reach out to someone who can help when you’re down and out.

Before you get to the burnout stage, there are many strategies you can add to your regular routine to help prevent stress:

* Using gratitude to your advantage can help alleviate stress. Spending some time at the beginning or end of your day to be grateful for all you have and all you can do. Be specific, write down what you feel gratitude towards, whether it is another person, something you do yourself, something you own, or even less tangible things like hot water or freedom.

* Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, body scans, progressive muscle relaxation, anything that gets you to bring down your blood pressure and ease your mind for a time can help with stress. Whether you do it on your own, with an app, or in a class with a guide, so long as you make it a regular part of your day, you are going to see the benefits.

* Radical acceptance is something I often work on with my clients. Sometimes we just cannot change what we cannot change. Knowing that not everything is within our control and letting go of worry and anxiety, this can be a real reducer of some of the major stressors in our life.

* The physical parts of our lives are just as important as the mental. Using mindful movement, eating enough in the day, engaging in healthy sleep patterns, all of these pieces give you the foundation you need to face the tasks you do, and even handle the ones thrown at you!

* Building a community around you, people you can spend joyful time with or go to for advice is a big way that we deal with stress. We cannot go it alone. You’re all familiar with the IKEA instruction image that tells us not to build their furniture alone! That’s a great rule of practice for life — don’t go it without good friends and family. And remember to be a good friend, too!

* One of the hardest things to learn to do is to say “no” when we know our plate is full and we can’t add new responsibilities, no matter how much we want to be of help to others. If you are already feeling stress, adding more won’t get you out. It’s like being stuck in a pit and trying to dig down to get out!

Stress is a normal part of our lives. Someone without stress likely isn’t facing their own reality. Some stress is short-lived, related to the very day’s events. Other stress can be longer-term, with longer-term issues. But knowing stress is normal doesn’t mean you can dismiss it when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Talk to a professional, a therapist or a doctor, if you are worried about being too worried! There are tools, medicines, and other mechanisms for managing our stress.

If you’d like to reach out to me, I’d be more than happy to help you create stress management strategies. Book a free 30 minute discovery call and lets nip this stress in the bud now!