5 Signs You’re Suffering From Emotional Distress And How To Cope With It

Living in a modern, dynamic world, we feel helpless to escape stress. As a part of our everyday life, stress seems to be the reason number one for taking us out of balance and control.

Talking about stress, how we adapt, respond to it is of a great importance to be mentioned here: do we take it as a challenge and motivation that pushes us to achieve our goals, or we respond to it in a negative way?

Distress is a negative stress. It shuts down our brain and gives us no access to the problem-solving part which makes the process of thinking difficult. Moreover, it affects what we do and how we interact with others.

When you have a negative emotional reaction to stress, you get emotionally distressed which leads you to feel extreme pain; you feel sad, worthless, anxious, hopeless, afraid, depressed…

Here are 5 signs that you’re suffering from emotional distress and how to heal.

1. You escape the reality.

You’re no longer interested in the outside world; you get isolated. You lock yourself in your inner thoughts and feed your own fantasies. Instead of facing the problems, you avoid them; you put them under the carpet and wait for an appropriate time to bring them up on the surface…or you wait forever.

However, no matter how much you try to escape problems, they won’t disappear. Therefore, you need to find that courage to face them and try to find a proper solution. For example, find out what causes you stress and try to eliminate it; if that is your job-apply for another; if it’s your friend-don’t go out with them; if that’s your past-leave it where it is. Maybe it’s easier said than done, but you have to put some effort for your own good; you have to be willing for a change.

2. You have zero patience.

Everyone can see that. You battle with time. You work with deadlines, have plenty of tasks to be done, you want to accomplish your goals. You. Want. It. Right. Now. You’re about to explode whenever you need to wait for someone, and everyone seems to be getting on your nerves.

Breathe. It’s good for you to have dreams and goals but you can’t force things to happen whenever you want and right at the moment. Relax, get organized and accomplish things step by step.

3. Your mood changes like the weather.

A situation makes you laugh, 10 minutes pass and you can’t stop yourself from crying. Suddenly, you get irritated, sad, and aggressive.  You get overwhelmed by mixed feelings which confuse you to the point where you don’t think about them at all; you just want to release them as soon as possible.

Don’t get isolated. You don’t have to walk the thorny path alone. There will always be someone who will understand you. If you feel unable to help yourself, share your feelings with someone else; always be willing to ask for help and support.

4. You radiate with negative energy.

Do you feel frustrated? Do you spread all your anger around everyone else? Are you constantly worried that something bad is going to happen? Do you see yourself as a victim?

Scream. Climb on the highest mountain and scream as louder as you can. Cry. Cry until you feel there are no tears anymore. Get tired; feel the sweat on your body.

Release yourself from all the negative energy. Feel your pain. Smile. Feel that you still breathe. You’re alive and you will heal.

5. You lose your purpose.

When you’re distressed, nothing seems to bring you a pleasure. You lose your self-confidence and aren’t sure about your life purpose anymore. You get lost in your attempts to feel the happiness after facing a challenge and achieving a certain goal.

Remember: we’re all facing stress and there will always be emotional storms. You need to know that the only thing we can control is our reaction to them.

We’re all on this Earth for a purpose. We all have a life mission and need to accomplish it.

And we must not give up. We must be strong. We must fight.

“To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness in yourself.” Narnia