My stress emotional symptoms - a personal reflection

Lately, I’ve got a feeling that I’m drowning under the weight of stress. It’s like I have this invisible pressure pushing me in every direction and no matter what I do there is no escape. My emotions are all over the place and seem to be constantly fluctuating between sadness, anger, fear, and apathy.

My physical health isn’t doing so great either - my body feels tense all the time as if it’s preparing for some impending disaster. Seemingly simple tasks take twice as long to complete because my concentration is so scattered. My sleep has also been really messed up and restful nights are few and far between lately.

When things get too overwhelming, I try to make time for myself to go on walks or just sit in my room with music playing in the background. Taking deep breaths and trying to clear my mind can make a big difference when it comes to managing my stress levels but even then it only works for a short while until fresh anxieties find their way back into my headspace.

I really need to start taking better care of myself physically and emotionally if I am going to be able to reach a sense of equilibrium again.

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Hi there! I can totally relate to what you said. Like you, I too feel stressed out a lot and it’s really hard for me to take time for myself without feeling guilty. Even after I do make some time for myself, the stress quickly creeps back in. It definitely feels like an invisible pressure pushing us in different directions and that it’s impossible to escape from it at times.

One thing that has been helping me reduce my stress is finding ways of confiding in someone/talking with close friends or family about how I’m feeling. Although talking about my anxieties sometimes makes me feel worse in the moment, having someone else understand and be compassionate towards what I’m going through can make things easier in the long run. Meditation and exercising (even if it’s just something small) also helps me refocus my thoughts and clear my mind which can be an effective way of dealing with stress.

Above all else remember that it’s okay to not be okay, we all should give ourselves more grace when things become overwhelming!