When Stress is Overwhelming

When our lives are too stressful, more serious things can occur such as:

• Frequent or long term physical illnesses including colds, flu, high blood pressure
• Hair loss
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Changes in appetite or weight
• Extreme sleeplessness
• Beginning or increased drug use, including alcohol

For some people at higher risk, extreme stress could help to cause serious cardiovascular or other problems, e.g., heart attacks.

When stress is overwhelming it's incredibly easy to ignore because we can become wrapped up in everything we need to do to make the stress go away. But sometimes in cases like these we run around trying to do everything and accomplishing nothing because we are just too stressed.

It 's always a good idea to give yourself some time to relax, but this need becomes critical when we are faced with a lot of stress. Otherwise we could face feeling worse and experiencing more serious health risks. Ironically, this is the time many of us are least like to take care of ourselves.

If you are in a situation in which you are too stressed, give yourself some time to unwind. Do something that you enjoy that is relaxing: