Stress is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure.
When we are stressed, our body releases a hormone called adrenaline (often called the “fight or flight” hormone), which usually gives us a boost or motivates us to act quickly.
But too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control. It can make us feel anxious and irritable and affect our self-esteem.
Experiencing long-term stress or severe stress can lead to feeling physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often called “burnout”.
Signs and Symptoms of Stress
Stress can affect our emotions, and we may:
- Be irritable, angry or tearful
- Feel worried, anxious, hopeless or scared
- Struggle to make decisions, having racing thoughts or feel overwhelmed
The physical symptoms of stress include:
- Stomach problems, stress headaches and other odd pains including muscle pain
- Skin reactions, like stress rashes
- Feeling dizzy, sick or faint
Sometimes stress causes high blood pressure and chest pains – but these symptoms should stop when your stress goes. If you have any symptoms that you are worried about, or feel you have more severe stress, see a GP.
Stress can also make us behave differently, especially:
- How much we eat or exercise
- Habits around drinking, smoking or taking other substances
- We might avoid seeing people or stop doing this we used to do and enjoy
Some research has also linked long-term stress to gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or stomach ulcers and conditions like cardiovascular disease. Long-term stress may also lead to depression and anxiety.
What Causes Stress?
The things that cause stress vary from person to person. The level of stress you are comfortable with may be higher or lower than that of others around you.
Stressful feelings typically happen when we feel we do not have the resources to manage the challenges we face.
Pressure at work, home, illness, or difficult or sudden life events can all lead to stress.
Possible causes of stress include:
- Experiences as children or adults
- personal problems like relationship issues
- life changes, like moving house, changing job, having a baby or bereavement
- money worries, housing issues or job problems
- health issues, either for you or someone close to you
- pregnancy and parenting
- loneliness or feeling unsupported
Even positive life changes, such as moving house or going on holiday, can be sources of stress. If you feel stressed in these situations, you may struggle to understand why or be unwilling to share your feelings with others.
Who is Affected by Stress?
All of us can probably recognise some of the feelings described above. Some people seem to be more affected by stress than others. For some people, getting out of the door on time each morning can be a very stressful experience, whereas others may be less affected by a great deal of pressure.
Some people are more likely to experience stressful situations than others. For example:
- people with a lot of debt or financial insecurity are more likely to be stressed about money
- people from minority ethnic groups or who are LGBTQIA+ are more likely to experience stress caused by prejudice or discrimination
- disabled people or people with long-term health conditions are more likely to experience stress related to their health, or the impact of prejudice and stigma
How Can you Help Yourself?
If you’re feeling stressed, there are some things you can try to feel less tense and overwhelmed.
1. Recognise when stress is a problem
Connecting the physical and emotional signs you’re experiencing to the pressures you face is important. Don’t ignore physical warning signs such as tense muscles, tiredness, headaches or migraines.
Think about what’s causing your stress. Sort them into issues with a practical solution, things that will get better with time and things you can’t do anything about. Take control by taking small steps towards the things you can improve.
Make a plan to address the things that you can. This might involve setting yourself realistic expectations and prioritising essential commitments. If you feel overwhelmed, ask for help and say no to things you can’t take on.
2. Think about where you can make changes
Are you taking on too much? Could you hand over some things to someone else? Can you do things in a more leisurely way? You may need to prioritise things and reorganise your life, so you’re not trying to do everything at once.
3. Build supportive relationships
Find close friends or family who can offer help and practical advice that can support you in managing stress. Joining a club or a course can help to expand your social network and encourage you to do something different. Activities like volunteering can change your perspective and have a beneficial impact on your mood.
4. Eat healthily
A healthy diet can improve your mood. Getting enough nutrients (including essential vitamins and minerals) and water can help your mental wellbeing.
5. Be aware of your smoking and drinking
Cut down or cut out smoking and drinking if you can. They may seem to reduce tension but actually make problems worse. Alcohol and caffeine can increase feelings of anxiety.
6. Get some exercise
Physical exercise can help manage the effects of stress by producing endorphins that boost your mood. It can be hard to motivate yourself if you’re stressed, but even a little bit of activity can make a difference. For example, you could aim to walk for 15-20 minutes three times a week.
7. Take time out
Take time to relax and practise self-care, where you do positive things for yourself. Striking a balance between responsibility to others and responsibility to yourself is vital in reducing stress levels.
8. Be mindful
Mindfulness meditation can be practised anywhere at any time. Research has suggested it can be helpful for managing and reducing the effect of stress and anxiety.
9. Get some restful sleep
If you’re having difficulty sleeping, you can try to reduce the amount of caffeine you consume and avoid too much screen time before bed. Write down a to-do list for the next day to help you prioritise, but make sure you put it aside before bed.
Read our guide’ How to sleep better’ for more tips on getting a good night’s sleep.
10. Be kind to yourself
Try to keep things in perspective, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Look for positive things in your life and write down things that make you feel grateful.
Get Professional Help
If you continue to feel overwhelmed by stress, don’t be afraid to seek professional help. Getting help as soon as possible is important so you can start feeling better.
Talk to your doctor about how you’re feeling. They should be able to advise you on treatment and may refer you for further help. You can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based approaches mindfulness-based approaches are known to help reduce stress.
Additionally, there are voluntary organisations which can help you tackle the causes of stress and advise you about ways to get better.
If your stress is work-related, work-life balance may help. PRS Members Fund works with BAPAM and Music Minds Matter to support work-related stress matters.
