Am I stressed?

Signals of stress may include changes in your body, actions, emotions & thinking. Being able to identify these changes may help you better manage your stress:

Changes in your BODY

• Tension
• Feeling as though you're going to throw up
• Headache
• Stomach ache
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Appetite changes
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue/ tiredness

Changes in your ACTIONS

• Increased use of alcohol & drugs
• Withdrawing from others
• Increased smoking
• Non-stop talking
• Short tempered
• Avoiding situations that are stressful
• Fidgeting

Changes in your EMOTIONS

• Lonely
• Depression
• Worry & confused
• Anger & irritability
• Feeling blue & sad
• Hopeless or suicidal

Changes in your THINKING

• Trouble concentrating
• Thoughts running around in circles
• Lost self-confidence
• Lapses of memory
• Putting yourself down
• Negative attitude
• Being hyper-critical of yourself all the time
• Poor judgment

Once we are aware that we are stressed, we can start to identify the specific things that may be causing us stress. Sometimes it will be things that we can control like getting some exercise or getting an assignment done.

It is also important to recognize that no one is in control of all the aspects of their lives that can create stress. Some examples of this may be having to move or parents divorcing.

TOP

It is important to note that:

YOU can be the
judge of what is
stressful and what
is challenging.

YOU can sometimes
make choices
about what you
face.

YOU can ALWAYS
make choices
about how you
respond.

35% of youth in BC said the most common stressor in the past year was interpersonal conflict.

More