Being a parent is a tough job. It comes with a lot of stressors and most of us already live very stressful lives. While stress is normal and to be expected, there are some things you should do to try to manage the stress in your life. It’s all too easy to get caught up in everything that you have going on and not realize when it is starting to take over. What you don’t need is to end up being under too much stress.

5 Subtle Signs You’re Under Too Much Stress

There could be subtle signs that your stress is becoming unmanageable that you don’t even notice. Here are some signs you should look for to know if you’re under too much stress:

Negative thoughts are taking over – We all have negative thoughts from time to time and it’s perfectly normal. However, if you’re starting to feel like you’re always looking to the bad side and struggling to see the good, it might be a subtle sign of too much stress.

People get on your nerves all the time – We all have those days where we just can’t deal with people. Those are the best days for staying inside and curling up with a good book, or whatever your favorite pastime is. That said, if you’re feeling like you’re constantly agitated by people everywhere you go, all the time, then it might be a sign it is getting to you.

You’re not sleeping at night – Frequent insomnia is a good sign stress is interfering with your ability to relax properly. We all have bouts of insomnia that prevent us from sleeping but if it’s happening every night now, you may need to get it under control. Lack of sleep actually makes your stress work, so it’s a cycle that repeats itself.

You’re getting sick all the time – When stress gets us down, it starts to wear on our bodies, too. It will weaken your immune system, making it easier for you to get sick. If you feel like you’re getting sick all the time, then you may want to check the stress levels in your life.

You stop taking care of yourself – Maybe you’re eating too much, or maybe you’re skipping meals. Perhaps you quit going to the gym, or you fell into fast-food eating way too often. When life gets “too busy” and stress starts to take over, you may stop caring for yourself properly.

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Now that you know the signs to look for, it’s time to make a plan to reduce that stress, or at least to handle how you manage it. Unfortunately, we can’t always just get rid of it, but there are things we can do to help manage it better.

Sometimes, especially when we’re busy, we don’t even realize that it is getting to us. Look for these subtle signs and if you have them, take time to assess what is happening in your life. Is there stress you’ve been overlooking? Are there any stressors you can reduce or things you can manage differently? Sometimes stress comes from overbooking ourselves and something as simple as saying no more often, or reducing our commitments can help reduce some of it. It may be time to examine your own life and see where there is room to reduce your stress.