Don’t let stress get to you
Holidays can be a stressful time of year, and this year, the COVOD-19 pandemic has added another layer of stress and anxiety. Can you recognize the signs of stress and do you know how to manage it? Lifeworks, the district’s employee assistance program can help.
The first step in managing stress is to become aware of the early warning signs that you may experience. There are steps you can take to manage stress, both by addressing sources of stress in your life, and by treating stress with proven stress management techniques. Once you learn to recognize your own reactions to stress, you can begin to treat it effectively. Some signs and symptoms you might notice include:
- difficulty sleeping
- headaches
- working to exhaustion
- being irritable
- loss of appetite for food, fun or sex
- stomach pain or upset stomach
- neck or back pain
- fatigue
- tearfulness
- smoking or drinking more
- loss of sense of humor
- forgetfulness
- trembling, nervous tics
- chest pain
- heart palpitations or shortness of breath
- excessive perspiration
- eating too much or too little
- over-exercise
- dry mouth
- feeling tired/lack of energy
- obsessive behavior
- loss of interest in other people
- a feeling that everything is pointless
- inability to focus and concentrate
- high levels of anxiety and worry
If you are experiencing five or more from the above list, you may be suffering from stress and should consider ways to manage it more effectively. Each of us responds to stress differently. Chronic stress contributes to heart disease and heart attacks. It also suppresses our immune system leaving us more vulnerable to disease.
Once you have recognized that you are stressed, you can learn to manage it. Lifeworks offers tips and resources to help Dallas ISD employees to deal with stress in a productive and healthy way, whether it’s caused by the holidays or everyday factors. Visit dallasisd.lifeworks.com or www.dalllasisd.org/benefits for more information.
You can also download this guide to managing stress and this guide and resources to help you deal with thoughts of self-harm.
