Stress
Stress causes physical changes in the body designed to help you take on threats or difficulties. You may notice that your heart pounds, your breathing quickens, your muscles tense, and you start to sweat. This is sometimes known as the fight or flight response.
Once the threat or difficulty passes, these physical effects usually fade. But if you’re constantly stressed, your body stays in a state of high alert and you may develop stress-related symptoms.
Symptoms of stress
Stress can affect how you feel emotionally, mentally and physically, and also how you behave. How you may feel emotionally overwhelmed irritable and “wound up” anxious or fearful lacking in self-esteem How you may feel mentally racing thoughts constant worrying difficulty concentrating difficulty making decisions How you may feel physical headaches muscle tension or pain dizziness sleep problems feeling tired all the time eating too much or too little How you may behave drinking or smoking more snapping at people avoiding things or people you are having problems with Visit the Mind website for more signs of stress.
How to tackle stress
You can’t always prevent stress, but there are lots of things you can do to manage stress better. You could:
- try these 10 simple stressbusters
- use these easy time-management techniques
- try mindfulness – studies have found mindfulness can help reduce stress and improve your mood
- use calming breathing exercises
- download some relaxation and mindfulness apps on to your phone
- listen to an anxiety control audio guide
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