A Clear Sign of Stress Is When You Stop Acting Like Yourself

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Stress is a part of life. And while most of us can recognize when we are overwhelmed, burnt out, or exhausted, many of us have a harder time recognizing the early signs that we are going into stress. Long before we reach a breaking point, there are usually subtle clues that something is wrong. One of the clearest signs? You stop acting like yourself.

Stress has a way of changing our natural tendencies. Sometimes it amplifies our typical behaviours, turning good qualities into overused strengths. Other times, it causes us to do the exact opposite of what comes naturally.

How Stress Can Amplify Your Usual Personality Traits

Below is a list of telltale signs of stress for people who tend to amplify their usual style under pressure. Read through and check off the behaviours you recognize:

• Usually, you can grasp situations easily and make decisions relatively quickly, but under stress, you find yourself not considering all the information, acting more impulsively, and changing your mind frequently.
• Usually, you are enthusiastic, energetic, and responsible, but under stress, you waste energy, feel like you are running on fumes, and/or are impatient.
• Usually, you like meeting with people and working within a team, but under stress, you can't make decisions without verbally processing. You feel dependent on group approval and/or feel an urge to people-please.
• Usually, you are sensitive and diplomatic in your communication with others, but under stress, you lose confidence in your communication and become more indirect and/or uncomfortable communicating with superiors.
• Usually, you are organized and detailed, but under stress, you become militaristic about procedure and protocol, and/or micromanage.
• Usually, you are agreeable with others, easygoing, and democratic, but under stress, you have difficulty disagreeing at all. You concede more often and/or lose self-assertiveness.
• Usually, you support innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, but under stress, you become rebellious and reject conventions just because you want to do something different.
• Usually, you aren't easily distracted and are focused on the task at hand, but under stress, you become unwilling to adjust to new demands or change.
• Usually, you are practical, logical, and focused on solutions, but under stress, you become curt, blunt, and/or detached.
• Usually, you are happy with the traditional approach or team convention, but under stress, you become more idealistic than practical, or don't make exceptions to the rules for individual accommodations.

When Stress Causes You to Behave Opposite to Your Usual Style

For those who flip the script and act opposite to their usual style under stress, here are some examples:

• Usually, you can grasp the situation easily and make decisions relatively quickly, but under stress, you find you get stuck, postpone answers, and are fearful of making a mistake.
• Usually, you are enthusiastic, energetic, and responsible, but under stress, you feel exhausted, delay action, and/or get stuck in analysis paralysis.
• Usually, you like meeting with people and are enthusiastic about working within a team, but under stress, you start to withdraw, get quieter, and/or grow impatient with meetings.
• Usually, you are candid and open with your communication, but under stress, you become evasive, easily embarrassed, and/or sensitive to criticism.
• Usually, you are organized and detailed, but under stress, you start leaving tasks to the last minute, you care less about follow-through, and/or you neglect procedures.
• Usually, you are agreeable with others, easygoing, and democratic, but under stress, you may become authoritative, provocative, or disagreeable.
• Usually, you support the greater good and want the team to win, but under stress, you care more about your own interests or distrust others.
• Usually, you aren't easily distracted and are focused on the task at hand, but under stress, you have difficulty concentrating, you are restless for quick wins, and/or you feel you are spinning your wheels.
• Usually, you are practical, logical, and focused on solutions, but under stress, you start to make decisions with your gut and/or have your judgment clouded with emotions.
• Usually, you are happy with the traditional approach or team convention, but under stress, you become rebellious, unpredictable, and/or more self-serving.

Overall, when we are under stress, we rarely go into productive or helpful behaviours. By taking note of your early stress signals, you can intervene before the stress becomes more severe.

How to Manage Stress

To build in this self-awareness, set aside time at the end of your day or week, and ask yourself whether any of your stress behaviours showed up. Then find a way to counter the stress before it becomes worse.

You can also try to figure out why you are heading into stress mode. Often, stress emerges when one or more of our psychological needs are not being met. We may need greater autonomy, stronger social connections, clearer expectations, a sense of progress, or simply time to recover. The behaviours themselves are often symptoms rather than the root cause.

Stress is a normal part of life. But burnout doesn’t have to be. By paying attention to the ways stress changes your behaviour, you can catch the warning signs earlier, understand what needs attention, and take action before the pressure becomes overwhelming.