This is kind of complicated. More impact, but... it really depends on how I'm doing and of what type the stress is. Some types invariably unhinge me. Sometimes, the load will be ridiculously big, but won't unhinge me. Other times, I think it hasn't unhinged, when in fact it has. (It might just take awhile till I catch up with reality!) When it exceeds my ability to cope, I get really really agitated. Or, apparently, dissociate. Agitation seems to be the far more typical response to the immediate and pressing. Then there's... Floating around on my own planet which can look oddly like serenity. Is it that the stress isn't there? Not really. More like it gets all mixed up in the fog(!) Fog, overload and denial can sometimes be hard to distinguish from one another. Am I "handling it" or have I hit overload and simply shut down? A plaguing question. So, even with greater effect, it's not always obvious.

The most frustrating are the stupid stressors. Mundane things can stress me way out --using the phone, stepping off an escalator, filling out a simple form, yada yada ad nauseum. Walking out the door can be a biggie (spells of yes, spells of no). That kind of crap can really get in one's way and have an inordinate impact! (Let's not even go into stress over "imaginary" things, thanks OCD!) But it makes no sense! For instance... I'd hop in a car and drive 3,000 miles. Travel alone. Dentist? No biggie. Wield a giant torch? Woot! Could probably even manage public speaking if I had to(!) Just can't manage the stress of everyday stupid crap like simply reading an employment ad without very nearly passing out from stress. We're not even talking about responding...