Stress throws me off more than I expect it to. I can be doing fairly okay, then a few bad nights of sleep, too many messages, and some small problem at work start piling up. Suddenly my thoughts get louder and basic things feel weirdly difficult. I remember once spending most of an evening avoiding one simple phone call because I felt completely overloaded by it.
The frustrating part is that I usually notice the stress before I realize how much it’s affecting my mental health. By then I’m already more irritable, withdrawn, and convinced I should be handling everything better. Does anyone else have early warning signs that stress is starting to push them off balance?