Signs You’re Taking on Too Much

Lisa Franchi October 30, 2014

Do you sometimes feel that you have so much to do but too little time to do it? Do you struggle with your personal and work life that you rarely find time to relax and spend more quality time with your family and friends? You are not alone. Thousands if not millions of people feel the same way.

The problem is – it can lead to serious health consequences if you don’t do something about it.

When there’s Just Too Much

Stress – it always gets in our way. And we all know that it’s bad for us. We know it can increase our risk of heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular problems, and can even expose us to life-threatening illnesses like cancer.

But the thing is that we are all humans – yes – just humans. We all need to take a break from time to time, and breathe, relax and just do nothing but embrace calmness.

You need not let go of new job opportunities or set aside the tasks you have to do at work. The key is to notice when stress starts to get through you and take a good break. This way, you can protect your body from its potential health effects.

It is also important that you become aware of the warning signs of severe stress. You might think that you’re just tired. But no, you could be in real danger. Watch out for the following signs:

Physical Signs

Stress can cause a wide range of physical symptoms. When you are stressed, you are likely to experience discomfort, in the form of fatigue, lethargy, and body pain (low back pain, headache, etc.) In fact, most people suffering from stress experience go to their GPs to report chronic pain.

Cognitive Signs

Stress doesn’t only give you physical discomfort. It can also negatively impact your mental health. If you notice a change in your mood – for instance, you’re more pessimistic than usual, you’ve become more irritable and grumpy, or you’ve started to feel low – you could be dealing with severe stress. People suffering from stress also report diminished levels of satisfaction in life. Even after hearing good news, receiving an unexpected gift, or achieving a goal, you won’t feel as fulfilled and happy, and may experience emotional emptiness from time to time.

Social Signs

You may not always notice it but your stress can affect the quality of your social relationships. When we aren’t mentally or emotionally healthy, we can easily pass it on to others, especially those who we deal with most of the time. Yes, they include your partner, family, and friends – those you really care about. If you notice that you’re starting to act aggressively or antagonistically toward others, you could be overwhelmed with stress.

Spiritual Signs

Do you feel caught up with your daily tasks that you rarely have time to pray and nourish your spiritual health? Not only does taking on too much rob you off the time to protect your spiritual health, it also makes you feel stale and empty, to the point that you begin to lose motivation.

If you’re experiencing any symptoms mentioned above, there’s a good chance that you are taking too much that you can’t handle anymore. The next thing you have to do is to stop, breathe and listen to your body. Identify what it needs. Comfort it like you would comfort a distressed loved one. Be kinder and gentler to your body. Only then will you be able to practise a well-balanced life.