When you’re constantly over-stressed and over-exerted, you begin to lose sight of how unbalanced, and un-sustainable your lifestyle really is. Unfortunately, we are taught to ignore the warning signs until a major health crisis arises. However, by that point, the damage has already been done.
Don’t wait until you get some scary, life-altering diagnosis to realize that you need to slow down. Instead, start looking out for these five small signs, which will tell you if you need to reevaluate your fast-paced lifestyle.
5. You’re always sick.
When you’re overextending yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally, things start falling through the cracks. Your body’s ability to fight off infections plummets, and you’ll find yourself with a constant cough and cold. If you find you’re always feeling under the weather, it might be time to start listening to your body, and figuring out how you’re overexerting yourself.
4. You’re constantly on the phone.
If you’re compulsively checking your phone and scrolling through newsfeeds any chance you get, you’re creating a bad habit where you focus your attention and energy outwards, instead of using that time to process and deal with your emotions and the stress in your life. Despite the relief of an instant distraction, you’re problems and stress levels will only sore as you neglect to properly deal with unpleasantries.
3. You can’t sleep.
When you’re over-stressed for a prolonged period of time, the body’s nervous system is so overwhelmed that even falling asleep is a struggle. Instead of taking a sleep-aid, which will only mask the real issue, try paying more attention to what’s triggering your stress and remove them as best as possible.
2. You’ve developed a beer belly- even though you don’t drink that much.
If you feel like you’re eating all the right things, but can’t get rid of the gut that you’ve developed, chances are your body is trying to tell you to slow down and de-stress. Studies have found a link between an excess of the stress hormone, cortisol, and excess belly fat. Cortisol has been shown to stimulate the production of fat cells around the belly, which also increases your risk of stroke, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
1. You can barely find the time to eat, never-mind care about what you’re eating.
If you’re so busy that you can barely set aside enough time to pull through a drive-through, let alone make a home-cooked meal, you definitely need to slow down. However, when you don’t provide your body with all the nutrients it needs to function properly, you’ll be less able to cope with challenges, which will only increase stress.
Do any of these signs match your life? Share with us in the comments below.
[Featured image credit: old.vifin.dk]