Stress among teens and adults has increased quite rapidly in recent years, and
continues to climb every year. As of 2018, the American Psychological Association
stated that most people in the U.S. have moderate to high stress, and over 40 percent
of people say their stress has increased in the last few years.

There are many reasons for this, from social media and technology influences, to daily
stressors, work and finances, and so much more.

While it is common to have stress, and you are definitely not alone, that doesn’t mean
you are going to handle it well. Stress should not be considered a normal part of life
when it is overwhelming you and leading to a nervous breakdown or full burnout mode.

Here are some signs that you are not handling stress well so you know it is time to get a
handle on it.

1-Your Acne is Back

There are many ways you can feel stress on an emotional level, but when it comes to
physical changes, the signs can be subtle. However, your skin is often a good indicator
of how you are feeling on a daily basis. With high amounts of stress, your skin tends to
take a lot of the damage. If you have skin that is suddenly breaking out, or you have a
skin condition like rosacea or dermatitis that is worsened, it is very likely a result of the
stress.

2- You Constantly Feel Overwhelmed

Do you feel like you are always overwhelmed, where you feel like you can never really
get a handle on everything? It is normal to be busy, but this is not the same thing as
overwhelm. A state of overwhelm is when you feel a complete lack of control over your
life, where there is so much in your head that you start to feel hopeless and helpless.
You might experience a lot of anxiety, depression, and even start experiencing signs of
a mental breakdown.

This is a big sign that you have too much stress in your life and that you are not
managing it well.

3- You Have Physical Pain

While many of the signs of stress are emotional or mental, they can occur in physical
ways as well. Aside from changes in your skin, you might also start dealing with chronic
pain. Some common sources of pain for stress include headaches and migraines,
backache, other physical pains, digestive issues, cramping, and many other issues.
When you have physical pain that doesn’t seem to go away and is not related to
another cause, it just might be from the amount of stress you have been handling.

4- You are Struggling with Low Energy and Lack of Productivity

If you feel like you don’t have the energy to get everything done, are falling behind in
your work, not reaching your goals, and barely able to focus, it is a sign that stress is
affecting you. Stress can keep you from maintaining energy levels from your mental
state and from losing sleep as a result of the stress. This in turn can cause you to lose
productivity, lose focus, and start falling behind in different areas of your life.

5- Your Personal Relationships are Suffering

Another common sign that you are not handling stress well is when your personal
relationships start struggling. This can be subtle, especially when you don’t realize your
mood or attitude is changing from the stress. It might start affecting a relationship with
your spouse or partner, friends, co-workers, or family members. This comes from many
sources, from an attitude or bad mood you have been in, to having to cancel plans often
from the other stress you have been dealing with.

6- Your Work Life is Struggling

Lastly, as you might expect, struggling at work can also be a big sign that you aren’t
handling stress well. Sometimes, the source of your stress is also related to your job.
Maybe you have too many responsibilities, or are taking on too many projects, but are
falling behind because you can’t manage your life with all the work you have to do.
In other cases, it is just a matter of trying to do everything yourself without properly
delegating tasks. Take a look at how your professional life is going, as it might be a sign
that your stress is a bit too much for you to handle.

These are 6 signs that you are not handling stress very well. I hope you can review your daily life to see if one or more of these signs do not appear in order to improve and seek help.

See you soon,

Ludmilla!