If you live a fast-paced life, you can hardly realize the thin line between positive and negative stress. Multiple deadlines, an influx of unavoidable commitments, and trying to juggle between parenting and work can render your life unavoidably busy. It’s so unfortunate that being busy has become a badge of honor, and most of the time, you’ll find yourself feeling guilty whenever you rest.
The perception of insufficient time, a to-do list never crossed, burnout, and striving for perfection in all you can drive you to significant health consequences. These health consequences are simply the side effects of living a fast-paced life, though, to some, it is accepted as a regular part of modern life.
It may feel normal to feel exhausted after a long day, get bloated after eating or get headaches. Such occurrences are common, but not normal, and could indicate you need to slow down your pace. Other signs you are burnt out include:
1. Angry Outbursts
Angry outbursts can be triggered by many things, including stress, financial issues, or family problems. In some cases, anger can be caused by an underlying health problem such as alcoholism or depression. Anger issues can be a symptom of various mental conditions such as depression characterized by feelings of sadness and loss of interest lasting for weeks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, alcohol abuse, grief, or bipolar disorder.
Anger can affect different parts of your body, like the brain, heart, and muscles. According to a study, anger issues are also associated with an increase in testosterone levels resulting in aggressive and irritable behaviors, and a decrease in cortisol levels that result in fatigue, weakness, and low blood pressure.
You may not get rid of the things that trigger anger. But you can learn to control how you react. Keep anger at bay through simple relaxation exercises like deep breathing, changing your thinking, better communication, using humor, or changing your environment.
2. Feeling Anxious
Anxiety follows a fast pace and is simultaneously overwhelmed by plenty of things. Anxiety can manifest through various symptoms and may affect how you feel mentally and physically and how you behave. It might be hard to point at anxiety as the cause of what you may be going through, but when you experience sudden and intense fear, it might signify a panic attack.
Other anxiety symptoms include nausea, dizziness or lightheadedness, shortness of breath, a racing heartbeat, and the feeling that you are losing control. Try talking about how you feel to a friend, family, or professional counselor. Exercise, find ways to better your sleep if you’ve been struggling, eat healthily, and consider peer support, where you listen to other people’s experiences.
3. Self-Isolating
Self-isolating means staying indoors by yourself and avoiding contact with people, including those you live with. Self-isolation may cost you friends or coworkers, and various pieces of evidence link self-isolation and loneliness with poor sleep quality, depression, accelerated cognitive decline, impaired executive functions, anxiety, and dementia.
A 2018 survey by Cigna indicated that the level of loneliness among Americans had reached an all-time high, where almost half of 20,000 U.S. adults reported having felt lonely. Such statistics are alarming, considering the health risks associated with loneliness.
Hence, it’s essential to be surrounded by people and ask for help whenever possible. It’s common for someone who has abused drugs to isolate. If this is what you are going through, consider getting professional help from a drug rehab facility in Florida.
4. Forgetfulness
Forgetfulness can result from depression, stress, thyroid problems, or lack of sleep. While it can be a normal part of aging, it can also result from side effects from certain medicines, dehydration, or an unhealthy diet. Resolving the underlying causes of forgetfulness can help you overcome this problem. You can also try meditation to slow down your thoughts and increase your ability to focus.
5. Sleepless Nights
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes it hard for you to fall asleep. It’s common for adults to experience short-term insomnia lasting for days or weeks and is often caused by a traumatic event or stress.
Chronic insomnia lasts for months and is caused by overeating, busy schedules, stress, irregular sleep schedule, and mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. You don’t have to get used to sleepless nights. A simple change in your daily habits can help you regain your peaceful night’s sleep.
Why You Need to Slow Down Your Pace
While it feels good to be busy, you must have realized how detrimental it can be to your health. Therefore, it’s imperative to slow down your life pace to eliminate some of the stresses you may be facing. It may not eliminate stress but it can significantly lower it and reduce its symptoms. Slowing down gives you more time to yourself and creates happiness.