Being young doesn’t prevent you from experiencing stress. You may feel anxious about your body changes, friendship, grades, tests, family issues, homework, work, lack of sleep, health, extracurricular activities, your future, your love life or time management.

Sometimes stress can build up before you know it and leave you feeling overwhelmed. Take a look at these signs of stress and find out how to recognize stress before it takes over.

You know you’re stressed if:

• You eat standing up.
• Your dog doesn’t recognize you.
• You’re always late.
• You forget what day it is.
• You have trouble finishing a sentence.
• Your friends greet you, “Hey, stranger!”
• You’re drinking more than usual.
• You’re fighting more than usual.
• You can’t remember what “usual” is.
• You do three things at once; you don’t finish any of them.
• You lose your keys. And your glasses. And your patience.
• You only talk to people via messaging.
• You’re always tired.
• You can’t sleep.
• You keep getting sick.
• You keep dropping things.
• You bite your nails, tap your feet and twirl your hair. All at the same time.
• You feel like you’re drowning.
• You don’t have time to feed your fish.
• Your blood pressure is too high.
• Your morale is too low.
• You jump when the phone rings.
• You eat. And eat. And eat.
• You have a headache. Again.
• Your palms are sweaty.
• Your heart is racing.
• You feel nervous or jumpy.
• Nothing seems fun anymore.
• You snap at your friends.
• You yell at your partner.
• You hate getting up in the morning.
• You drive too fast.
• You talk too fast.
• You cry at the drop of a hat.
• You can’t breathe.
• You can’t concentrate.
• You keep bumping into things.
• You’re never alone.
• You’re always alone.
• You live on coffee, cigarettes or diet soda.
• It’s always someone else’s fault.
• People keep asking: “Are you okay?”
• You wonder if you are okay.

Last Reviewed: October 2018