When feelings of stress stick around for periods of time, it can negatively impact your emotional and physical wellbeing. Unmanaged stress has been linked to a wide range of mental and physical illnesses and disorders.
What causes stress?
Well, it’s highly individual. Stress is a type of strain on the body, in response to triggering agents, and these agents are often called “stressors.” Stressors can be external or internal.
External factors that may cause stress include your job, your relationships with others, and your physical environment. It’s all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you’re confronted with daily.
Internal factors determine your body’s ability to cope with these external stressors. This includes your diet and nutrition, your overall health and fitness, your mental and emotional well-being, and the amount of rest you get.
The information in this section will help you identify potential warning signs that you’re under stress and includes suggestions for stress management and reducing the harm that stress can cause.
Warning signs
The list below is an example of what people often experience when they are under too much stress.
Cognitive symptoms of stress
- Memory problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Trouble making decisions
- Short attention span
- Seeing only the negative side of things
- Anxious, circling or racing thoughts
- Constant worrying
- Predicting the worst.
Emotional symptoms of stress
- Moodiness and mood swings
- Irritability, impatience or short temper
- Agitation, snappishness and being easily annoyed
- Inability to relax. Feeling guilty when you do take time to relax
- Feeling overwhelmed or always rushed
- Sense of isolation or aloneness
- Sense of hopelessness, of never catching up
- Depression or general unhappiness.
Physical symptoms of stress
- Aches and pains
- Tense muscles, especially in the shoulders and neck
- Grinding or clenching teeth
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Nausea, unsettled tummy
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Fatigue, feeling worn out or run down
- Increased heartbeat and breathing rate
- Loss of sex drive
- Frequent colds or infections
- Skin problems (e.g. acne, rashes).
Behavioural symptoms of stress
- Eating more or less
- Sleeping more or less (especially difficulty getting to sleep)
- Isolating yourself from others
- Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
- Increased use of alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
- Nervous habits (e.g. fidgeting, nail biting, pacing)
- Calling in sick at work.
Occasionally experiencing a few of the above symptoms is not cause for concern. Short-term stress or nervousness is completely normal from time to time; it’s a fact of life. However, if you’re experiencing these symptoms, it may mean you’re under more stress than you think. The same is true if they have been going on for a while or are quite out of character.
If you’re experiencing the above listed symptoms, it might indicate stress. This isn’t necessarily bad; it might prompt you to act.
Ineffective coping strategies
When we’re facing problems that seem too difficult, never-ending, or overwhelming, we often fall back on ineffective coping strategies. These are things that may temporarily make us feel better, or buy a bit more time, but they rarely solve the problem. They’re often a form of avoidance that serves to prolong or worsen the problem.
Examples of ineffective coping strategies are:
- Procrastination – putting off having to deal with something that just seems too much for you in the moment
- Denial – pretending or acting like everything is fine, when evidence indicates otherwise
- Consuming alcohol, mood altering drugs or overeating.
- Complaining – this can seem like an unburdening of your problems but is often not constructive
- Attending to other problems or goals that are not as urgent or important as the ones being avoided
- Burying yourself in other activities such as work, hobbies and other distractions
- Other avoidance strategies.
By delaying or not addressing the issue at hand, the stressor could become worse. When you’re facing stressors that seem impossible to overcome, it’s important to find effective self-care strategies. These strategies can help relax you and prepare you for some problem solving. Examples of positive coping strategies are listed below.
Coping strategies for stress management
- Take a break and clear your mind, i.e., going for a walk
- Practice breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation relaxation techniques
- Engage socially with friends or family. If you can’t, try meeting new people or finding an interest or support group
- Get regular exercise and aim to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day
- Give up smoking (if you’re a smoker). Nicotine withdrawal will make you feel more stressed and when you smoke, you’re only temporarily relieving stress
- Talk to someone. It can be helpful to share your thoughts and feelings with someone you trust
- Speak with a professional
- Write your challenges in a journal
- Get enough sleep to regenerate your mind and body. Also try not to rely on sleeping pills
- Nourish your spiritual side. Religion, beauty, nature, science and even painful life experiences have been used by people to deepen their sense of spirituality and meaning
- Take each day as it comes and be present in the moment
- Make time, each day, for worrying. Give yourself however much time you need, and let your mind go there for that time and go back to what you were doing
- Practice action or acceptance
- Get a massage to relax your body and mind
- Apply a heat bag or have a warm shower as heat can often relax you
- Get good nutrition. Eat foods with vitamins and minerals that will make your body stronger and healthy
- Delegate responsibilities. It’s okay to ask for help if you need it. It’s also okay to say no
- Engage in hobbies and activities that you value. Try to use these as a reward for having achieved something a bit less pleasant
- Set SMART goals. Break bigger ones down into smaller, more achievable, multi-step goals.
Self-care
Engaging in good self-care is the first step to overcoming and preventing high levels of stress. But what exactly is self-care? Read more about self care in high stress situations.
Still need help?
If you think that you, your partner, or family could do with some support from our team, visit our Family and Relationship Counselling page. We provide a range of programs to support you with a range of challenges that you could be facing.