Sadly, stress has now become part of our everyday life. We are all trying our best to cope with it and not let it get to us. But there are times when everything just seems too much. We start feeling out of balance and we find it harder and harder to adapt to the demands of modern life.
Soon enough, stress turns into distress. It takes over our mental and emotional inner world, it rips us of our motivation and general good mood. And the more it overtakes us, the more we’ll respond to events in our life in a negative way.
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This state will only shut down our brain and deeply affect our thinking, sense of perception and the way we interact with the others. This intense emotional distress that some of us is going through can make us feel sad, anxious, depressed, nervous, afraid, helpless or worthless.
Here are 4 warning signs that you are indeed suffering from emotional turmoil and how you can deal with it.
1. You are running out of patience
When you’re going through a dark phase, it seems like everyone is getting on your nerves. On purpose. Every single day. It’s like they’ve decided to test your patience. You feel more and more agitated, as if you always work or live against a deadline.
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You feel irritated by small things that didn’t upset you in the past. This is a clear sign that you are also impatient with yourself. You’re in a rush to do things only so you can fill that void. What you can do right now is take a deep breathe and practice this every time you feel you need to pause. Remember that things will fall into place, especially when you accept things for what they are.
2. You isolate yourself
This is one way you choose to cope with reality: you try by any means to escape it. You feel you have lost any interest in the outside world and so you lock yourself from within: in your thoughts and fantasies. You are perhaps aware on some level that you are avoiding your problems instead of dealing with them.
Deep down, you know that what’s troubling you won’t simply go away. But if you’re feeling really low, take a few days to just let yourself feel just that. Immerse yourself in whatever will help you get on the other side: ice cream, movies, whatever will get you through. Then, decide when it’s time to look for solutions to your problems.
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3. You radiate negative energy
This may be harder to tell, but the people around you who know you will notice this right away. Do you feel frustrated and angry all the time? Are you constantly worried about something? Do you feel like all the bad things in the world are only happening to you? That’s a clear indication that something is wrong.
You need to find healthy ways to release that negative energy, or else it will consume you from within. Scream, cry, meditate, write, cry again, go for a walk or for a run. But whatever you do, release it. Vocalize and accept your frustrations and concerns. It’s the only genuine way to overcome what you are going through and recover your inner calm.
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4. You feel you’ve lost your purpose
When you feel you’re going nowhere, know that perhaps going through this is necessary. In order for you to get to the other side. Feeling extreme emotional distress could keep you from enjoying activities you once took great pleasure in. Be patient. You will be thankful one day for not giving up when you were at your lowest. Know that happy days will be here again. It’s just a matter of time.
