Being too stressed out is something that often slowly happens or at least it takes some time for you to notice it. With 24/7 hustle culture being such a popular mindset on social media and in real life, it’s often hard for people to acknowledge that they are in need of a break. It is important to find the famous work-life-balance. However, it can be hard to figure out if you are actually moving towards your breaking point because people do not talk about the topic. Let’s change that and talk about how to know that you are stressed out and need a break. Here’s a short checklist of signs that help you figure it out.
5 Signs That You Are Stressed Out and Need a Break
1. You don’t take breaks and work/study longer than needed
This is often the first sign, and it slowly creeps into your way of studying or working. While it makes perfect sense to finish a task, you should never overdo it or feel pressure to keep going. The moment you feel like you need to do more even after you studied or worked for 8-9 hours, it’s a warning sign. There is a reason that you are not supposed to work all day and all night, at some point you are simply not able to further take in any information.
2. You drink too much coffee and don’t get enough sleep
For you to be rested and able to work or study with your full energy, you’ll need enough sleep. It is recommended for young adults or adults to sleep 7-9 hours of sleep at night. While it isn’t the end of the world to sleep less from time to time it should not become a habit and coffee shouldn’t be your life elixir that you can’t keep going without.
3. You even dream about your to-do-list
After you have “done” your work or studied sufficiently to reach your goals, you should be able to calm down and relax. If your dreams at night still consist of your to-do’s, your mind is still processing and thinking about your daily life, things you haven’t done or still need to do. The more often it happens, the more likely it is that you are stressed. If you study or work related dreams turn into nightmares don’t take it lightly.
4. You are afraid to take some time off
Another sign that you are too stressed about work or your studies is if you are afraid or reluctant to take some time off. Maybe you wanna go out with some friends, do a weekend trip or visit your family? But you don’t do it because you are too worried to fall behind with your workload. If you have a bad conscience about living your life, it’s a clear sign you’ll need to change something.
5. You are losing or gaining weight
Stress can affect your body and mental health in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it can also lead to changes in your eating habits. I, for example, tend to eat less when stressed, but at the same time the things I eat are often unhealthy. People may begin overeating or experience a loss of appetite. Both things can happen and should be taken seriously as signs of stress.
If you see any of those signs in your friends, make sure to have a talk with them. Talking can help a lot, and it’s always important to figure out if the stressful situation is over in a few weeks or is likely to continue for longer. In the case that you spot any of those signs in yourself, acknowledgement is the first step. However, finding your way back into a more balanced routine can be a hard. You can help yourself by using techniques like meditation, exercising and many more to take steps into the right direction.
If you are having problems and feel stressed lately, make sure to check out our 16 Work-Life Balance Tips! If you have anything you wanna talk about, reach out in the comments or via shecareerblog@gmail.com.
Be right back,
Ally
