4 signs your body is telling you it’s time to take a break

IIf your home’s smoke alarm was honking your horn frantically, you would spring into action. If your car alarm started buzzing loudly, you would investigate. And if a tornado warning were issued for your neighborhood, you would almost certainly take cover.

Yet, experts agree, we’re not that quick to react to the alarms that go off in our own bodies, telling us we need to slow down. “The problem is that from a young age we are conditioned to stop listening to our bodies,” says Jennifer King, assistant professor of applied social sciences and assistant director of the Trauma and Adversity Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. This means we may miss important signals that manifest when we are experiencing prolonged, repetitive or unpredictable stress – the kind that affects many of us. “A cascade of changes happens in the body when the stress response is activated in a sustained way,” says King. “When the dose is too large and there is no clear beginning or end, it causes wear and tear on the body.”

That’s why it’s so essential to pay close attention to changes in how we relate to others, what we’re experiencing physically, and how we’re coping mentally and emotionally – and to be open to feedback from those around us. We asked experts to explain what to look for and listen for, plus what happens if we ignore what we find instead of addressing it.

You will notice emotional changes

If you haven’t taken a break—and you need one—you may notice that you’re feeling sadder than usual and have increased anxiety. “Your mood can absolutely be affected,” says Dr. Gerda Maissel, a doctor in New York’s Hudson Valley who works as a physician. patient advocate and helps people navigate the healthcare system. Your thoughts may begin to “circle” or spin repeatedly. And you’ll probably “feel like you can’t remember things or like you can’t find the name of something,” she says.

see more information: Do less. It’s good for you

Meanwhile, stress can keep you from enjoying activities you once enjoyed. He hasn’t opened a book he’s been looking forward to yet? No longer interested in that unfinished knitting project? Consider this a hint that something is wrong. People who desperately need a break sometimes also lose the ability to take care of themselves, like exercising and eating well, says Maissel.

You may also feel overwhelmed by a sense of overwhelm. Maisel noted that people with chronic stress are often unable to cope well – with problems big and small. “I call it tipping,” she says. “If you’re like a plank on a seesaw, and you have things weighing on you and you’re trying to keep everything in balance, eventually a lot of things are going to slide with you.” The people she works with become tearful, throw tantrums, and can’t make simple decisions because they are overwhelmed.

Your relationships will become strained

Have you noticed that you are experiencing new stress in your relationships with various people? Maybe you’re grumpier than usual — and yelling at your colleagues or honking your horn at that guy who cut you off on the highway. “You might notice that you’re feeling a little more irritable or moody,” says King. “If you’re finding that you want to isolate yourself a little more and keep to yourself — if that’s something you weren’t already doing — that could be because of stress.” If a friend or family member approaches you about your mood, try not to become defensive or ignore their concern. Often, other people are the first to notice the warning signs.

You might catch a cold

Stress can affect every system in the body, says Ashley Fields, an Indianapolis-based therapist who specializes in women’s issues and perinatal mental health. Research suggests that it can weaken the immune system, for example, causing you to get sick more often. “I have graduate students that I teach who often tell me that right after they graduate they get a cold or some kind of illness,” says Fields, who teaches master’s-level social work at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis . “It’s almost like their bodies have finally stopped functioning on high alert with classes, work, and internships, and need to heal.”

Your stomach and sleep will suffer

You may also experience digestive difficulties – such as stomach pain, constipation or indigestion – as well as appetite changes that cause you to gain or lose weight. Stress often causes muscle tension, Fields says, triggering headaches, jaw pain, and back and shoulder pain. We don’t always realize how much tension we hold in our bodies until we make a point to intentionally notice what we’re feeling and where, she adds. Your sleep may also be affected. Do you feel more tired than usual? Or maybe you’re sleeping well, but you’re exhausted when you get out of bed. Both are very likely signs that you need to dedicate more time to rest and relaxation, notes Fields.

Long-term effects of not taking a break

When we develop “tunnel vision” and orient our lives around our daily obligations, our bodies begin to “beg us, often, to slow down,” says Dr. Christopher Thompson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Ignoring these pleas leads to “many of our modern health problems.”

see more information: How to really rest

To understand why, consider that when we see a threat, we go into fight or flight mode and our adrenal glands start releasing cortisol and adrenaline. This cortisol causes the body’s tissues to release glucose into the blood, “because you need glucose for energy to flee or fight,” says Thompson. Meanwhile, your insulin production will decrease and your blood veins it will tighten, which is good for a short-term event, like if you’re in an emergency situation and need to defend yourself. But when we go weeks, months, or even years without relief, “we don’t recover from those cortisol spikes” that become the norm. “It’s clearly harming our health.”

Studies suggest, for example, that chronic stress is associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and arthritis. Another potential effect: weight gain. Because cortisol can raise blood sugar and affect the body’s insulin level, it can cause belly fat as well as other weight gains, says Thompson. It can also break down muscle tissue, which slows down your metabolism. “It makes sense that chronically elevated cortisol levels are causing many problems, including obesity, weight gain, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and diabetes,” says Thompson. Exactly how long it takes for persistent stress to have this impact varies from person to person, he adds: “The problem is how long it takes for us to recognize that we are in this period of stress.”

A break doesn’t have to be a vacation

Make a point to check in with yourself every day about how you’re feeling and what you need, advises Fields. Thirty seconds will be enough; The important thing is to include this in your routine. “It’s an indication of how you’re doing,” she says—and you’ll glean information that can help you make meaningful lifestyle changes.

If you find your body pushing you to take a break, don’t let the idea create even more stress. You don’t necessarily need to take a week off work or submit a sabbatical request. Claiming just a few minutes of downtime throughout the day can make a difference, says Fields: Put down your phone for 5 minutes, draw in an adult coloring book, or call someone you love. She likes to do a quick intentional breathing exercise: inhale for a count of three to five, then exhale for the same number.

see more information: How to go back to sleep after waking up at night

Maissel likes to take short breaks throughout the day, usually centered around movement: She aims to climb 20 flights of stairs daily. She can step away from the computer, for example, to go upstairs to water a plant, which helps keep stress under control.

“Instead of saving up for that big dose of calm and relaxation, think about how you can strategically and intentionally pepper in breaks throughout the day,” says King. “When you wake up, or you’re going to work or school, or you’re in transition, what are the things you could do to allow your peaks to come back?”

Whatever you do, she says, it needs to be something you find enjoyable or fun. For King, that means participating in one-song dance parties throughout the day. She shows up in his office and starts jumping and shaking. Taking a brief break “allows your body to metabolize some of what you’re taking in,” she says. “We are calming, energizing, or offering ourselves whatever we need to get back to baseline and feel ready for what’s to come.”