Day 1: Creating your Resiliency Roadmap

@DrDonaLocke. The list of symptoms is very interesting. I’m aware that I can get short tempered but I never thought about not remembering things as a sign of stress. It seems that some signs are very insidious because they are always there

Thanks @DrDonaLocke ! Fatigue, guilt, and generally feeling "burnt out" for me when I get stressed. Definitely high on the guilt lately as I try to do my best to balance work and homeschool!

For me, I definitely experience muscle tension and overwhelming fatigue. I tend to get irritable, impatient,And sad and do everything I can to control allowing them to show. My ability to concentrate is definitely my big cognitive sign and behavioral issues include pacing and occasionally snapping at others.

I forgot dry mouth

OK... I didn't realize that muscle tension was a sign. I thought I was starting to have some kind of delayed reaction to my knee replacement. I think I need more exercise to solve this. Also, under physical signs it says sleep disturbance. I'm having bad dreams and my husband is too. Sometimes we even wake each other up with the disturbance. Of course, worry, sadness and mood swings... for sure. Doesn't everyone have these? Also, I would not have guessed I was having any cognitive issues before i read this. But now I know... difficulty concentrating. I used to LOVE reading. When this virus first hit and I realized we'd have to stay in, I thought "Great. I'll catch up on reading." Sadly, I can't focus well enough to read a book. I start. I stop. I go to the frig. I start another project. I try to read again. Then, repeat. Which brings me to the last category... self care. When I tried to read and then went to the frig... that didn't turn out happy. Also, I'm having terrible problems with pollen so I'm staying in the house and not walking. Self care is taking a beating. My saving grace is that I have re-discovered my love of sewing and I've been making face masks. I've made them for family, friends, the local hospice, home health care workers. This has given me joy.

This is why this topic is the first step! So many symptoms of stress are not obvious to us at first! Some, like memory problems or back pain, could be there all the time for other reasons, but stress makes them worse and we don’t always realize it!

Thanks so much @drmelaniechandler! I appreciate that you tolerate and support “cranky pants” me because you also know that is one of my symptoms of stress!

Thank you so much @joancampy! Many of us fall back on the “control everything” plan (me too!). Preparedness can help some but we can also go overboard. I aim to help support some balance as we work through this roadmap together.

Hi @debbraw . Thank you so much for your introspection. I’m glad this has helped you recognize how broad the signs of stress can be! Our personal stress patterns seem a lot like fingerprints to me—lots of pieces that may be common but the whole constellation can be quite unique from person to person. And I’m glad you’ve rediscovered a hobby that has brought you joy!

Sleep disturbance is a major condition I'm experiencing at this time of stress and anxiety. It affects my entire day keeping me from doing the things I always enjoyed doing. I do not want to rely on medicated sleep aides. Do you have any suggestions that would help me have a good night's sleep?