Causes & Symptoms of Stress

If you aren't sure whether stress is causing your symptoms, look at these causes and symptoms of stress that might go unnoticed. Can you relate to any of the causes or recognize any stress-related symptoms? If so, stress is likely contributing to your herpes outbreaks.

Causes of Stress

 

Emotional/Mental Causes of Stress

 

  • Significant life changes or events (marriage, divorce, pregnancy, relocation, health concerns, deaths)
  • Illness and disease
  • Relationship complexities (negative people, inflexibility, red flags, abuse)
  • Children and family concerns
  • Money and finances, as well as pressures at work or school
  • Staying too busy
  • Environment (home, office, city, state, country)
  • Lack of support
  • Lack of purpose, direction, or meaning
  • Pessimism, victim mentality, perfectionism, and negative self-talk
  • Avoidance of dealing with something emotionally painful
  • Happiness deficiency
  • Suppressed emotions
  • Excessive need for approval
  • Childhood experiences or environment
  • Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, financial), including neglect
  • Oppression, including being the victim of narcissism
  • Traumatic experiences (physical or emotional)

 

There is nothing as destructive as negative emotions (fear, guilt, shame, resentment, blame, rage, jealousy, contempt), especially when they are repressed, ignored, or dwelt on. Chronic negativity causes a host of physical symptoms, including Cancer. It's certainly not the only thing that causes Cancer, but it significantly contributes to the disease and can prevent healing. Why? Because emotions change DNA. After just five minutes, anger decreases immunity for five hours, while laughter increases immunity for 20 hours or more. Forgiveness is the beginning of healing. Often, it's ourselves we need to forgive to begin loving ourselves enough to move toward health and happiness. Forgiving others doesn't mean that what they did was acceptable or okay. It simply means you have decided to let go of the negative emotions so they don't hurt YOU anymore. You're not letting them off the hook. You're letting yourself off the hook. You have to. Otherwise, undigested anger only leads to more frequent or severe illnesses, autoimmune conditions, and Cancer.

 

 

Spiritual Causes of Stress

 

 

 

Physical Causes of Stress

 

 

 

Symptoms of Stress

 

Emotional Symptoms of Stress

 

 

 

Physical (Bodily) Symptoms of Stress

 

  • Insomnia, fatigue, and low energy
  • Muscle ache, loss, pain, or spasm (especially head, neck, shoulder, and back)
  • Chest pain in the heart area, rapid heartbeat, and palpitations
  • Indigestion, nausea, stomach pain, constipation, or diarrhea (often alternating)
  • Frequent colds, infections, or herpes outbreaks (a weakened immune system)
  • Loss of interest in sex or the ability to perform
  • Unexplainable weight gain or loss
  • A continuous feeling of nervousness, anxiety, worry, or guilt
  • Trembling or shaking of the body, hands, or lips
  • Frequent allergy attacks (and Histamine Intolerance)
  • Tinnitus (ringing, popping, buzzing in the ear)
  • Cold or sweaty hands and feet
  • Blushing, sweating, and hot flashes
  • Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing
  • Clenched jaw and grinding teeth
  • Frequently sighing (taking deep breaths) or difficulty breathing.
  • Light-headedness, dizziness, faintness, or a feeling of being off-balance
  • Panic attacks when danger is absent
  • Being accident-prone

 

 

Cognitive (Mental/Thinking) Symptoms of Stress

 

  • Constant worrying or seeing only the negative side of things
  • Unrealistic expectations of self or others or excessive idealism
  • Racing thoughts and the inability to turn off mind-chatter.
  • Stuttering or stammering or rapid or mumbled speech
  • Forgetting things or confusion
  • Lack of focus or concentration
  • Trouble being punctual
  • Problems learning new information
  • Irrational or disgusting thoughts
  • Poor judgment, perspective, or decision-making ability
  • Nightmares or recurring dreams
  • Lying, justifying, or making up excuses​

 

 

Behavioral (Actions) Symptoms of Stress

 

  • Procrastinating or avoiding responsibilities
  • Eating too much or too little
  • Obsessive or compulsive behaviors, such as repeatedly washing hands, excessive shopping, or gambling
  • Using or increasing the use of stimulants or sedatives to cope, such as alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs
  • Reduced productivity or activity
  • Engaging in nervous behaviors, such as fidgeting, pacing, biting the inner mouth, nail-biting,
  • Picking at the scalp, twirling or pulling out hair
  • Skin-cutting or burning
  • Letting appearance go
  • Social withdrawal and isolation (and phobias)

 

Stress can cause symptoms in any of the four categories listed above. You may not recognize your symptoms as stress at the time. Getting a headache before taking a test at school, feeling nauseous during an argument with your spouse, or suffering a panic attack while standing in line to renew your license are all apparent symptoms of stress. But not feeling hungry (or ravenous when you've already eaten) and wanting to spend money (again) on things you don't need are also signs of stress. Herpes outbreaks are also a sign of stress. 

 

Your symptoms may pass quickly or stick around and grow if you become chronically stressed or begin to fear your symptoms. Eventually, your symptoms can cause you to become less active, more isolated, and less productive, reducing your quality of life.

 

 

NOTE: Being a Highly Sensitive Person or an Empath heightens your chances of experiencing stress-related symptoms when you don't implement routine care to prevent the adverse effects of stress. Also, if you're an HSP or Empath who has suffered adverse childhood experiences, your chances of experiencing stress-related symptoms rise. 

 

 

ACE Score (Adverse Childhood Experience)

 

Childhood trauma and chronic stress damages the structure and function of a child's developing brain. ACE scores tally the degree of such things as the following:

 

  • Physical Abuse
  • Verbal Abuse
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Physical Neglect
  • Emotional Neglect

 

We only move out of our child brain and into our adult brain once we are 24-26 years old. Before this, we tend to "Freeze" in response to not feeling safe, rather than "Fight or Flight". The freeze response can cause stress-related symptoms, such as a reaction to not feeling secure in your own body (you can't fight or get away). Freeze mode, regardless of your age, makes it difficult to heal because we are frozen by fear. People in freeze mode have difficulty making decisions or committing to them for fear of making a wrong move. We must feel we can fight or run from danger to feel safe. If you find yourself in freeze mode, ask yourself what your body needs to feel secure and do whatever you can to move in that direction. 

 

Individuals with high ACE scores are more likely to suffer from nervous ills and disease in adulthood.

 

To calculate your ACE score, click here.