6 Signs Stress is Making You Sick (And What to do About it)

A little stress can actually be a good thing. In small spurts, it's your body's response that motivates you to prep for a major test or work presentation, or makes your heart rate go up and palms go sweaty in anticipation of a first date. Long-term stress, on the other hand, can be overwhelming emotionally – and even detrimental to your physical health, causing health conditions.

"Just like our feelings give us information about our needs, so do our bodies through physiological feedback," says Eliza Chamblin, a therapist in New York City who specializes in stress management. "If you are noticing any somatic or physical symptoms, consider it as valuable information telling you that something isn’t right."

Not sure what those physical signs might be? Here are 6 potential indications that stress is making you sick, plus what to do for each situation.

Close up of an adult wearing a dark grey knit sweater

1. You’re having trouble thinking clearly

If you’ve been having a tough time concentrating on one task at a time, remembering things accurately, or just generally operating on a higher level, stress could be to blame. Emotional stress makes it difficult for you to think clearly, as it clouds your thinking and makes it difficult to focus.

This mental fatigue sometimes happens when acute stress is high and small stressors pile in at a volume with which we can’t keep up. Things like making multiple tough decisions at work, handling ongoing interruptions, and juggling social commitments – all of these can accumulate into physical effects and start to weigh on you (not to mention if your phone keeps going off at every step!). If you don't have a chance to hit the pause button and reset, brain fog could set in. Focus is a finite resource and when stretched thin for a long period of time, it falters.

The unfortunate reality of this mental fatigue is that it can have a negative impact on your physical energy levels, too. If you’ve spent the whole day feeling exhausted just doing the tasks you that you normally knock out in one afternoon, your body will feel tired. For some, this perpetuates the stress cycle; no energy for stress-busting outlets like meditation, creative endeavors, or exercise means nowhere to release that stress, and it remains a looming burden.

What to do if stress is making you mentally fatigued:

2. You’ve been getting more headaches than usual (or they’re getting worse)

If you’re not typically susceptible to headaches, but have been inundated with them lately, stress could be the culprit. Often called “tension headaches,” these pesky head-throbbers happen when your neck and scalp muscles contract as a response to a stressful situation.

Symptoms of a tension headache include:

And if you do normally get headaches or migraines, stress can both trigger and make them worse.

What to do if you’re experiencing tension headaches

Take the following steps:

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3. You’re having digestive issues – but your diet hasn’t changed

There’s a reason why stressful situations are called “gut-wrenching.” The brain and the digestive system are intimately connected — meaning the more stressed out your brain is, the unhappier your stomach will get.

Signs that your stomach isn’t handling extra stress well include:

4. Your skin has been extra sensitive lately

When stress takes the wheel, it’s not uncommon for our bodies to go into overdrive. All this hype throws the nervous system, including nerve endings on your skin, off-balance.

Signs that stress has gotten under your skin include:

5. You’re getting back-to-back colds

One of the cruelest ironies of our physical systems is that when we’re at our most stressed, we’re also the most susceptible to catching a cold.

Why? When you’re at overall healthy stress levels, cortisol (the “stress hormone”) is able to do its regular thing of regulating your body’s suitable response to viruses and bacteria.

But when you’re chronically stressed, it become a risk factor. Your body's cortisol levels become high as ever, and your immune system grows less sensitive to it. In turn, your body is less able to regulate the fight-or-flight inflammatory response, and therefore, more likely to succumb when exposed to a virus.

6. Your sex drive is down

In periods of chronic psychological stress, the excess cortisol that's produced can suppress sex hormones. And fewer sex hormones = a lower libido.

And then there's the mental aspect of it, too. The distracting nature of periods of stress (thinking about your massive to-do list, for example, or anxiety about paying off bills) may prevent you from being present in the moment for sex, or wanting to engage in it at all. Talk about a downer!

What to do if stress is killing your sex drive:

Consider working with a therapist!

If you're struggling to determine your triggers and manage your reactions, consider working with a therapist to help you find ways to better understand and handle your stress. Stress may be inevitable, but it doesn't have to damage your physical health. Many therapists specialize in helping clients unwind from their stress — which can look many different ways! Some therapists teach clients how to recognize stressors and change their behaviors. Other therapists take a holistic approach to finding balance. This diversity in approach means that you can find a therapist that fits perfectly with your personality and preferences to help you with your stress. Finding a high-quality therapist will not be another stressful item on your to-do list when you use Zencare.