Recognizing Physical Signs of Stress: A Guide to Identifying and Addressing Stress in Your Body
Repressing stress, regardless of the reason, won't make it disappear. Ignoring stress will not eliminate it. Physical symptoms persist until they're acknowledged and addressed. Many, including myself, are unaware of how mental stress shows up in the body.
Rose advises: 'How are you breathing? Short and shallow? That's stress. Notice your temperature. Are you feeling hot and flustered? That's also stress. Notice your heart rate. Is it going a million miles an hour? That's your stress levels. Notice your shoulders. Are they clenched up to your ears? That's you holding the weight of the world on your shoulders. Notice your jaw. Is it clenched and achy when you touch it? That's also you holding onto stress.'
According to McClanahan, other signals of stress can include sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, engaging in self-destructive behaviors like excessive drug or alcohol intake, and withdrawal from social or family activities.
By recognizing these bodily and behavioral indicators, one can better identify stress even when not mentally conscious of it. As Roberts adds, you can deny your negative emotions all you want, but the body doesn't lie. Tuning into these physical signs is the only way to become aware of stress so you can mitigate it and become the 'chill girl' you want to be. 
