Caring with Compassion
Understanding Your Stress Response
Everyone gets stressed at times, and in fact, without stress we could not build resiliency. It is important to understand how stress typically shows up for you—physically, mentally, emotionally and behaviorally. This is called your Stress Response. Understanding your Stress Response can inform present-moment awareness, like an internal barometer, as well as influence targeted self-care measures that may be most beneficial to you.
Some examples of a Stress Response:
- Headaches
- GI symptoms
- Muscle tension
- Hypertension
- Cold/flu episodes
- Fatigue
- Sleep disturbances
- Irritability
- Mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression)
- Hypervigilance
- Dissociation
- Inability to focus
- Overworking
- Change in eating habits