Most people are going to imagine stress as being the more obvious stuff, like racing thoughts, restless nights, getting snappy at people, and so on, but the truth is that stress can be pretty sneaky, and it can turn up in places you just wouldn’t expect – and that could mean you don’t even realise it’s stress at all. The fact is, the body can feel things before the mind does sometimes, so it might be that something you’re feeling is stress rather than an injury. With that in mind, here are some of the hidden ways stress shows up in our bodies, and once you know what they are, they don’t have to be hidden anymore.

You’ve Got Tight Muscles

Stress basically puts the body on high alert for danger, so it’s no wonder it starts to brace itself for some kind of impact – literally. Your shoulder rise up, your jaw tightens, your stomach pulls itself in, and before you know it, you’re putting a lot of effort into holding onto your stress and tension. The hard part about this is that it can quite quickly become your new normal, so you might not notice how tight everything is until it gets to a point where it actually starts to hurt you. 

What kind of pain? Well, you might wake up with a random stiff neck, for example, or perhaps you feel sore after a day at work, and so on – are you clenching your teeth right now? That’s a sure sign. In fact, these are all signs and physical reminders that your nervous system is in stress mode and has been there for quite some time. 

Your Sleep Is Less Restful

You might still be getting seven or eight hours of sleep a night, but is it good sleep? The fact is that stress actually changes how you sleep, and when you’re anxious and tense, you’ll drift in and out all night, probably without knowing you’re doing it, but you’ll definitely notice in the morning when you wake up feeling tired and groggy instead of refreshed. 

When the body is stressed, it can’t properly switch off fully, and even in sleep it’s still monitoring and bracing itself, trying to keep you alert and keep you safe. It’s no wonder you feel so tired and have a lack of energy when that’s going on all the time behind the scenes. 

Your Digestion Is A Problem

The gut can be a good place to monitor if you want to know you’re stressed – you might notice bloating, cramps, a loss of appetite or the completely opposite where you feel hungry all the time (especially for foods that are going to give you a quick boost of dopamine but that don’t fill you up or give you any nutrition), and so on. That’s because the stress hormone, cortisol, affects the digestive system directly, and it slows things down or speeds things up depending on what the body thinks it needs to survive the danger it can sense. 

A lot of people just assume the stomach issues they’re having are random or because of something they ate, but it might actually be stress, and that’s going to change how you have to deal with it. 

You Lose Patience 

Something else that can let you know you’re stressed is if you’re snappy and lose a lot of patience quickly – even over the smallest things that wouldn’t normally annoy you at all (or at least not to the same extent). And it’s not just losing patience either – you might feel really emotional, and even cry, over something that isn’t sad or very emotional. 

You might assume you’re just being moody or it’s hormones, but the fact is that emotional sensitivity can often be your body’s way of telling you you’re carrying too much stress and you’ve got to do something about it before your feelings and emotions can be regulated again. 

You’re Withdrawing Socially 

Stress definitely does some strange things to people, and one of those things is that it makes you retreat more, and you’ll find reasons not to go out with friends – you might cancel plans at the last minute or read a text and be unable to find the energy to respond (assuming you’re normally quite good at getting back to people), for example. And you’re not doing it because you don’t care or you’re being mean, but it’s because your brain’s totally overloaded and just can’t handle any more interactions. 

This kind of withdrawal can also happen when stress begins affecting parts of you that are harder to spot. For example, a lot of people might notice it happens more when they’re dealing with something like tinnitus or slight hearing changes, especially because these things can get worse when you’re stressed. That’s why part of why learning how hearing aids ease tinnitus can be so helpful for people who are withdrawing because conversations are harder than they used to be. 

Your Skin Reacts Before You Do

Breakouts, rashes, eczema flare-ups… skin really reacts quickly and noticeably to stress, and all these things can be a result of it and being too overwhelmed. It happens because when it’s stressed, the body has to prioritise the most important functions, basically to keep you alive, and that means the non-essential ones, which includes skin health, get forgotten. 

So if you notice dryness, itching, red patches, greasiness, or your usual skincare routine isn’t having the same results, for example, then it could be down to stress rather than anything medical. 

Your Memory Gets Foggy 

Stress affects focus and memory a lot more than people think – your brain gets so busy dealing with all your thoughts and responsibilities that it can’t store new information properly, and that means you’re going to miss appointments, misplace things, lose track of conversations, and not be able to concentrate on even really simple tasks. 

The point is, when your mind is overloaded, it’s a clear sign that your body has been stressed for a while, and this is basically its last resort – it’s time to get some help.

The owners of Cinnamon Hollow and many of its authors are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice. We cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research and consult with your personal physician before using.