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Signs You are Addicted to Stress and What to do About it
Have you ever asked yourself why your life is always stressful? You say you want peace, but somehow, you are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, clenching your jaw, shoulders raised up towards your ears, maybe even holding your breath.
Experts say that we can become addicted to stress and adrenaline, especially if we experienced a lot of stress and chaos as children. If we grew up in high stress environments- where issues like addiction, mental health issues, abuse or neglect were present, we are more likely to become “addicted” to stress as adults.
When we grow up in high-stress homes, we learn that staying on high-alert, or in our stress response, is a way to stay safe. We stay vigilant so we are able to act quickly and protect ourselves. We can even come to associate stressful feelings with home, family, familiarity, and love. We literally feel at home in stressful situations because home was stressful.
Your past may be subconsciously sabotaging your ability to experience peace. Calmness may feel frightening because it’s unfamiliar, and you grew up afraid to let your guard down.
So while hyper vigilance may have been a way to keep yourself safe in the past, it can actually cause us harm in the present- damaging our health and our quality of life.
