When my brain senses a threat, it activates stress hormones. My body will then feel it and notice it in some of my reactions, such as:

1. My heart beats faster and my breathing is irregular.
   Why? So that your muscles get more blood and oxygen to increase muscle strength and its ability to fight the threat.
2. I have a stomach ache, a dry mouth or I feel like vomiting.
   Why? Because this isn’t the time for your body to be digesting but fighting the mammoth threat so it is on pause. The body stops digesting to retain its energy.
3. I am hot or sweating.
   Why? Because when you are stressed, the body and brain generate more heat, the same way as when you participate in a sport that takes lots of energy. You sweat so that you don’t overheat.
4. I am shaking, my muscles are tense.
   Why? The blood and oxygen stored in you body by the stress hormones are in your muscles, and all this energy prepares your muscles for the fight. This causes tension in your body. So, for example, your hands can tremble, your fists tighten or your jaw clench.
5. My vision is better.
   Why? Because, when you feel stress, your pupils dilate, letting more light into your eyes. This gives you better vision at a distance or in the dark, and the contours of things can appear more clearly and be better defined.
6. I start to rapidly look from place to place.
   Why? Because you are analysing your surroundings to see if there are any other dangers and also because you are looking for clues for what will end the threat.
7. The hair on my body stands up.
   Why? Think about a cat that finds itself stressed by a dog. Its fur will stand up to make it look bigger and scare its enemy. It’s the same thing for human beings, although we have much less hair than our prehistoric ancestors.
8. I become more irritable and get angry spontaneously.
   Why? Because in response to stress, you concentrate on everything that can help you fight the threat; you analyse your surroundings. If something distracts you while you are doing this, you may react with intensity or spontaneous anger.
9. I can’t stop thinking about the situation that is stressing me.
   Why? The brain’s role being to ensure survival, it will direct your thoughts towards the threat as long as it is there. It’s the little hamster inside your head!
10. I start to forget things.
    Why? As your brain is focused on the threat that is upsetting it, it is hard for it to pay attention to other things and to remember information that isn’t directly related to the threat.

It’s normal to feel some discomfort when you are stressed because your body is reacting to the threat, whether it is real or not.

If you want to look after yourself or reduce the signs of stress, go to https://tuaslederniermot.com/en/ to learn about different strategies.

Here are three strategies that you can try:

• Deep abdominal breathing
• Exercise to release stress hormones
• Talk to someone you trust

Reference:

Taken and adapted from https://sonialupien.com/covid-19-dix-signes-on-est-stresse/