Have you ever started to do something, and then forgotten what it was?  When you have a lot on your mind, and/or are stress and anxious, you can lose your focus.  This is true for both short term memory and long term memory.

Here are ten physical signs of stress and anxiety:

1. Forgetfulness. Stress short-circuits your memory, at least temporarily.
2. Irrational thinking. Under stress, it is hard to think clearly and get organized. Small challenges become huge obstacles.
3. Feelings of frustration, anger, anxiety, and fear. Stress can cause our feelings to spiral out of control.
4. Impulsive behavior. You may respond in a way that’s completely out of character for you. You act on a whim, without thinking about the consequences.
5. Tendency to make mistakes. You may forget something, leave it behind, or overlook details that you normally would have considered.
6. Headaches, backache, joint or muscle pain. Stress may manifest itself in the form of physical symptoms. Left untreated, these symptoms only get worse.
7. Difficulty in falling asleep. Stress makes it difficult to wind down and drift off to sleep.
8. Shallow breathing and tightness in the chest. This is a sure sign of stress and tension.
9. Weakened immune system. Under stress, we are more susceptible to colds, flu, headaches, sore throat, and congestion.
10. Arguments with family and friends. When stressed, you become easily agitated over trivial matters. You may become angry with a family member or friend, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

If you suffer or experience any of the above physical and emotional signs of stress then you need to address these signs.  The more you stress the worse your threshold to stress becomes and soon enough you will not be able to handle even the smallest confrontations.

You must recognize and figure out what is causing your physical signs of stress and anxiety and then release your associated stress triggers.

Most of us have stress triggers that we can identify immediately.  If this is the case than you really need to make a choice of either avoiding the stressor(s) or approaching them with a different mind set.  We often create the stress from the inside world we create, therefore most stress can be controlled and changed.

Related posts:

1. How to Relieve Stress and Anxiety
2. Stress and Anxiety Quiz – How Stressed Are You?