Is My Stress Toxic?: 4 Ways to Tell Your Stress is More Than Noise
Img src: Dr. G.
I have to start this last post by saying it’s been an honor sharing this space with you. I’m here to break down the stigma around mental health for Brown and Black minds and I hope these blogs have done just that. You can always find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or drop a line on my website. This last one is a short but powerful post. There’s a lot (an overwhelming amount actually!) of information out there about stress. I just wanted to give you four simple ways you can check in with your own stress and decide if it’s toxic or just the everyday noise. No shame in the getting help game - so if you read this and realize your stress is toxic - get support.
Four Ways to Tell if Your Stress is Toxic
1. You feel like your nerves are shot. When you find yourself feeling like your nervous system is always ON and your feeling amped all the time - your stress might be toxic.
2. You can’t remember the last time you were calm. If you feel like you’ve been stressed since - well, you can’t actually remember not being stressed - your stress might be toxic.
3. You’re amped & “hella sensitive.” Some call it overactive and hypersensitive. If you’re jumpy, lose your cool easily, cry at the drop of a dime - your stress might be toxic.
4. You feel like nothing helps. If you feel like you’ve tried a lot of things to lessen your stress but you still feel like a tiger is after you - your stress might be toxic.
Not all stress is toxic, sometimes it’s just chronic and low level. However, if it’s more than that or even if you think it might turn into more than low-level stress - get help. Talk to someone about it who is supportive, someone you trust, someone that validates you and positively encourages you. Like I’ve said before, it doesn’t have to be a therapist. It can be your pastor, a mentor, a family member. Just talking about it will give you an extra insight that it’s more than noise.
