By now we all know the super obvious signs of stress and anxiety: aches and pains, overwhelming worry, high blood pressure, and extreme physical and mental exhaustion.
But what about the lowkey signs?
These are the symptoms that tend to have the most negative impact on our minds and bodies because they’re so easily overlooked.
Now, it goes without saying that these symptoms are not invisible—we just don’t typically see these particular behaviors as signs that we are stressed or anxious.
However, ignorance can’t be an excuse when it comes to your health.
You must be in tune with your mind, body, and soul at all times if you truly want to embody wellness; and properly managing your mental and emotional health is the perfect place to start.
Here are 3 symptoms you didn’t know were lowkey signs of stress and anxiety, and how you can get around them.
Going to sleep late or waking up really early.
According to Psychology Today, stress and anxiety activate the areas in your brain that make you more alert, and it’s possible to feel stressed or anxious in your sleep.
This leads to insomnia, a sleep disorder that causes you to stay up when you really would like—and absolutely need—to sleep. When we think of insomnia, we tend to think of countless sleepless nights where we get absolutely no rest at all.
However, it can sometimes show up as getting a few hours of sleep, but waking up too early; robbing you of sleep by cutting your rest short. This is a sign of stress and anxiety.
On the flip side, those of you who sleep a lot are not off the hook just yet. Getting too much sleep is also a lowkey symptom of stress.
According to neuroscientist Philip L. Johnson, sleepiness is one of our many fight or flight responses.
In other words, some of us become sleepier when stressed.
If you’re sleeping more than usual, you may need to pinpoint what’s causing stress and anxiety in your life.
Indulging in daydreaming and escapism.
It doesn’t hurt to indulge in flights of fancy every now and again. A little daydreaming here and there; zoning out to your favorite songs to feel better; or binge-watching your favorite shows as a way to escape whatever might be going on in the real world.
You might see this as just you unwinding, but it’s lowkey a sign that you’re running away from your problems. Well, more than lowkey—you’re definitely running from something.
And like all other coping mechanisms, the more you do it, the more stressed or anxious you probably are in life.
So take a second look at your habits such as emotional eating, binge-watching, or indulging in your favorite content—what void are you trying to fill?
Being a lot more sensitive than usual.
Let’s face it—we are all lowkey sensitive at times.
With all of the different hormonal fluctuations, moods, and life stuff we go through as women, it’s kind of hard not to be. However, there is a point where your regular, perfectly fine emotion becomes too much.
When this happens, this is called emotional hypersensitivity. And according to healthline, crying spells may be caused by other symptoms of stress and anxiety.
For example, not getting enough sleep may make you more sensitive and irritable throughout the day, causing you to cry with frustration.
Another example is engaging in unhealthy habits like alcohol overconsumption or poor eating which leads to mood swings due to hormonal imbalance.
Managing your mental and emotional wellness lowkey comes down to one thing: learning to take care of yourself by developing healthy habits.
