5 Signs You’re Dealing With Emotional Stress

Have you been feeling a bit unlike yourself, yet unsure of what the problem might be? Has it been harder to maintain your routines, keep healthy habits, and connect with loved ones the way you’d hope? If this resonates, there’s a chance you might be coping with some emotional distress that you’re attempting to suppress or might not even be aware of. 

While stress can come from obvious agitators, like a busy schedule, multiple deadlines, or responsibilities, emotional stress can be difficult to identify due to the more internal nature of the cause. Some examples for the cause of emotional stress might be: conflict anxiety due to a dispute with loved ones, concerns about a health diagnosis (whether yours or another’s), or separation anxiety when away from your partner. When you’re emotionally distressed, you may ruminate more often, since most causes of this type of stress aren’t easily treatable. Even so, having self-awareness can help start the coping process. 

Here are 5 signs to help you identify if you’re suffering from emotional distress: 

1. Irritability 

Notice if you’re reacting with more irritability than usual, and more frequently, as well. While it’s normal to have bouts of frustrations on a day-to-day basis, an increased level of irritable behavior might suggest underlying emotional stress. According to experimental therapists, we have “core emotions”, such as anger, joy, and sadness. When we suppress these core emotions and are left confused about how we truly feel, we’ll often act out in irritable ways to express our internal conflict. Just remember the next time you find yourself reacting in an irritated way that you’re being called to check on your emotional needs. 

2. Negative Impact on Productivity 

Stress of any sort can put a damper on anyone’s productivity levels. Emotional stress can distract you even further by lowering your energy and creativity levels due to the insistent amount of worrying happening in your mind. The quality of your work may also suffer, and you might find yourself dreading your list of to-dos. When this happens, try incorporating productivity intervals into your routine: work diligently for 30 minutes and take a 3-5 minute breathing break before jumping into another 30 minutes of productivity. Work smarter, not harder! 

3. Emotional Detachment 

If you find yourself too emotionally distracted within, it makes sense that you’d feel less desire to emotionally connect with others. Emotional detachment may manifest differently for everyone, but in every case, there is a general lack of emotional openness and willingness for emotional intimacy when compared to one’s natural behavior. While getting some time alone to allow your underlying feelings to surface and be processed can be constructive, remember to keep your close friends and/or family updated on your intentions to keep them from worrying. 

4. Changes in Sleep Patterns

Having a hard time falling asleep, or finding yourself bingeing your favorite show to distract yourself from sleeping? Waking later than usual, or feeling tired even after sleeping for 9 hours or more? This could be a big sign that you’re currently under emotional distress. International researchers found that new students to universities are susceptible to sleep disturbances due to the drastic changes in lifestyle and routine. It’s implied here that shifts in one’s emotional landscapes (from meeting new people, to handling bigger workloads) can cause a schism in one’s sleep behavior. The next time you feel tempted to stray from your sleep schedule when you know you’re under emotional stress, do your best to stick closely to your normal sleep hours to avoid triggering further challenges to your mental health. 

5. Emotional Eating

Who doesn’t love ice cream and chocolate on a bad day? Exactly – no one. This is why during the peak of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, 47% of adults admitted to eating more due to stress. When you feel negative emotions, your mind will seek out ways to inject itself with more of the good-feeling chemicals, like dopamine. One way it does that is through “rewards” like crave-worthy foods. Unfortunately, the side-effect of this is that most people find themselves feeling worse after, rather than better – especially if they felt they ate past their satiety levels. If you find yourself reaching for the snack cabinet more often, don’t fret. Food is life and should bring you ultimately joy and satisfaction. It’s okay to reach for a serving of chocolate, as long as you’re staying conscious and aware of your hunger cues while doing so. Being aware of when you’re actually hungry versus when you’re craving a boost in joy might help you brainstorm a list of options you can choose from to feel better, from playing with your pets to calling up a friend. 

At the core, what you’re most likely attempting to do when experiencing emotional distress is to distract yourself from confronting your true feelings. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but know that your energy and life are worth the effort. Take your time to process and heal, but don’t let yourself be so consumed by emotional stress that you allow it to overshadow the light of your own potential.

Be sure to follow Psych2Go on YouTube for more tips on how to identify and reduce emotional stress!

References

Brewer, Jud. “Are You Stuck in the Anxiety-Distraction Feedback Loop?” Harvard Business Review, 1 Feb. 2021, hbr.org/2020/05/are-you-stuck-in-the-anxiety-distraction-feedback-loop.

“Emotional Eating up during Pandemic.” MIBluesPerspectives, 17 Mar. 2021, www.mibluesperspectives.com/2020/11/02/emotional-eating-on-the-rise-during-the-pandemic/.

“Emotional Stress: Warning Signs, Management, When to Get Help.” Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/6406-emotional-stress-warning-signs-management-when-to-get-help.

Fraga, Juli, et al. “COVID-19 Stress Is Making America Increasingly Irritable. but What Is All This Rage Hiding?” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 9 Sept. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/covid-19-stress-making-america-increasingly-irritable-what-all-rage-ncna1239585.

“How Stress Connects to Productivity.” Business.com, www.business.com/articles/stress-and-productivity-what-the-numbers-say/.

Schlarb, Angelika A., et al. “Sleep Disturbances and Mental Strain in UNIVERSITY Students: Results from an Online Survey in Luxembourg and Germany.” International Journal of Mental Health Systems, BioMed Central, 29 Mar. 2017, ijmhs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13033-017-0131-9.

“Struggling with Emotional Eating?” Harvard Health, 15 Aug. 2017, www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/struggling-with-emotional-eating.

“Why Anxiety Causes Detachment.” Calm Clinic – Information about Anxiety, Stress and Panic, 1 Mar. 2021, www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/detachment.