There is a relationship called the Yerkes-Dodson law, and that is the relationship with stress and performance and efficiency. As stress increases, there is no doubt that performance and efficiency and good health increase. In other words, when we have a deadline, we are more proficient, we perform better. But only to a point. Then performance and efficiency start to decrease. It's like an inverted U. So the more stress, the worse the performance, the worse your efficiency. Because most of us are on the down side of that curve, that's why we are burning out.
So what are stress symptoms? What are the symptoms that one can recognize when the stress begins to exceed our capacity to handle it? I'll talk about four symptom categories: physical, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive.
Physical symptoms:
- Headaches
- Indigestion
- Stomach aches
- Sweaty palms
- Sleep difficulties
- Dizziness
- Back pain
- Tight neck and shoulders
- Racing heart
- Restlessness
- Tiredness
- Excessive smoking
- Bossiness
- Compulsive gum chewing
- Attitude critical of others
- Grinding one's teeth at night
- Overuse of alcohol
- Compulsive eating
- Inability to get things done
- Crying
- Nervousness
- Anxiety
- Boredom (there's no meaning to anything)
- Edginess (a readiness to explode)
- Feeling powerless to change things
- An overwhelming sense of pressure
- Loneliness
- Easily upset
- Trouble thinking clearly
- Forgetfulness
- Lack of creativity
- Memory loss
- Inability to make decisions
- Constant worry
- Loss of sense of humor
by:Herbert Benson, MD, founding president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute.
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