You are suffocating in your sleep. The legs you are so desperately trying to move are bound to the bed. It was just a dream, but you wake up at 4 A.M. in a cold sweat with the weight of all your worries sitting on your chest. It is not your sleep paralysis demon coming to torment you, it is your unresolved trauma and current stressors affecting your psyche.
According to MedlinePlus, “Stress is the response we have when we feel under pressure or incredibly overwhelmed by a situation in our lives we feel we can not control.”
It can take many forms and end up affecting your mental, physical, and social health. It is a natural reaction to very demanding parts of being human, but they can end up being something very dangerous and can be threatening.
A common response to feeling stressed is insomnia induced hallucinations.There are things you see in your vision that do not exist. You find yourself twisting and turning at night, feeling hot then cold, and experiencing many restless nights.
For others under stress, they sleep soundly at night. They tell themselves that they will deal with what is bothering them in the morning, yet they feel something weighing heavy on their brain, and start getting lightheaded and sick. Yes, you can totally pass out suddenly from feeling “Just a little stressed.”
Sophomore Tatiana Maldonado, often feels overwhelmed from stress and knows that it can be intense for some people.
“I have a tendency to get aggravated a lot and that makes me feel so stressed and overwhelmed with myself,” said Maldonado. “Some people feel more intense stress than others, but we are all different.”
It is possible that your closest friend or family member may respond in these ways to any form of stress. You could be a perfectly healthy person going through a near heart attack, hallucinations, or a dangerous blood pressure drop all because you are stressed.
It can easily be mistaken for a serious medical condition, but something as simple as being overwhelmed by what’s going on in your life is the medical diagnosis.
At times the response to stress may not be as intense as insomnia, hallucinations, or passing out. It can be biting your nails, shaking your legs, laughing without context, or sleeping for long periods of time.
Mental health should be a priority for everyone. Not addressing it can cause serious problems for you in the future. What are small feelings can get out of hand eventually if all you do is bottle them up and not address them.
So, do not be afraid to sign your name on the list to be next to chill out in the Zen Den or take a moment and see if you can take a mental health day. Relax your heart rate and peace of mind. Talk to a friend, and take care of yourself.
