Welcome

Dealing with stress

By Sarah Clark

Click star to rate:

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• (1167 ratings)

 

0 comments

Stress is a part of everyday life for the vast majority of people, and with uncertain times ahead, the toll that it takes on us as a society is likely to get worse. Stress in itself isn't a bad thing - if it's managed properly.

So, what is stress?

Most people think of stress as the feeling they get when everything gets on top of them, when it all seems too much to deal with, or when they feel overloaded and don't think that they can cope with all the demands placed upon them.

You probably don't need anyone to tell you when you're feeling stressed - it's that slow build up of pressure that can make you feel as if you're an elastic band about to snap. Sometimes you might not realise how stressed you are until you reach breaking point - and then everybody knows about it. In small doses, it's nothing to worry about. But if you are feeling constantly stressed, it's time to think about ways of managing your physical and emotional symptoms before you make yourself ill.

How do I know if I'm stressed?

Stress can manifest itself in many ways, but it's generally accepted that the most common symptoms are:

• feeling angry
• depression and anxiety
• food cravings or loss of appetite
• crying a lot
• sleep problems
• tiredness
• difficulty concentrating

Physically, your body may be trying to tell you that you need to slow down, by producing other unpleasant reactions to your stress:

• chest pains and breathlessness
• constipation, nausea or diarrhoea
• cramps and muscular pain
• dizziness and fainting
• nervous twitches,
• restlessness
• loss of sexual desire

Of course, these symptoms can all be caused by other things, but if you're suffering from more than a few of them, you need to get a grip on the problem as it's already making you feel bad.

continue...