• Anger, irritability, anxiety, depression
• Tension headaches, back pain, jaw pain, muscular tension
• Elevations in blood pressure, rapid heart beat, sweaty palms, palpitations, dizziness, migraines, shortness of breath
• Stomach symptoms

When it is acute, episodic and repetitive, stress can cause feelings of constantly being in chaos.  That feeling can extend the above described symptoms and over time they can become quite detrimental to your health.  Doctors often identify a "Type A" personality as someone who is constantly experiencing bouts of stress because of the very nature of how they handle expectations of perfection.  And Type A individuals can typically be very resistant to recognizing this ongoing personality problem, and accepting change.

Chronic stress

Chronic stress can be very debilitating and destroy your body, your mind and certainly your relationships.  Situations like poverty, a highly pressured work situation, and constant failures can break down the will of a person and put them into a state of unrelenting stress.  You just can't see a way out of your plight; with no hope, you begin to give up.  You may be programmed to chronic stress because of a difficult childhood or early life experiences.  Chronic stress can then make the world threatening on a daily basis.  If you actually become comfortable with this daily stress, you may begin to ignore it and not realize how detrimental it is to your health and well-being.  Ultimately, chronic stress can put you at risk for suicide, violence from another, heart attack, stroke and some experts theorize cancer.  You are actually vulnerable to what is commonly called a "nervous breakdown."  Chronic stress can be very difficult to treat, and if it starts in childhood it can mean long term and escalating serious health and emotional issues.

So it's important to be able to recognize the signs of stress and to note if they are (a) appropriate to the circumstance and acute, or (b)repetitive with longer durations.  Imagine your body having a dashboard with little glowing lights indicating various signs of stress.  If you don't heed those warning signs there could be a major malfunction or breakdown.  If you feel that you are losing control and overwhelmed it can signal stress.  Here's a list of specific symptoms:

• Headaches including migraines
• Upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, gas
• Dry mouth
• Chest pressure, pain
• Palpitations
• Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep
• Fatigue or loss of libido
• Increasing frequency of colds
• Lack of focus, concentration
• Loss of appetite or overeating comfort foods (carbohydrates)
• Memory problems
• Jitters, irritability
• Short temper
• Sudden shaking or feeling dizzy
• Anxiety
• Excessive scratching, pulling hair, biting nails, acne