Stress
Your body responds to demanding situations by releasing adrenaline and cortisone into your blood which help give you strength and energy to deal with these situations.
This can be very useful if there is an outlet for this stress; i.e. you use that strength and energy to productively deal with the situation. However, if there is no outlet for your stress it builds up and can have many negative consequences.
We can create stress ourselves by worrying about situations which we can't control or by being in situations which we know will make us stressed.
Stress can also be caused by things around us such as overcrowding, noise, work and family.
Working too hard at school, your job or at home can also cause stress and often arises from poor time management or a lack of rest and relaxation.
Stress can be very upsetting, but is not always a bad thing. A degree of stress can help us to be productive up to a point, after which things deteriorate.
It is important, therefore, to find the right amount of stress in our lives so that we can turn unhelpful stress into more productive stress. It is important to remember though, that the ‘right' amount of stress is different for all of us.
Are you too stressed?
We each respond to stress differently. There are many different responses to stress and the following are just a few that you might recognise in yourself:
Physical symptoms
Back ache or neck pain, headaches, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, dry mouth, skin problems, frequent infections or colds, feeling tired or worn out for most or all of the time.
Behavioural symptoms
Change in sleeping patterns, change in eating patterns, reduced sexual desire, increased smoking, drinking or drug use.
Emotional symptoms
Feeling overwhelmed, difficulty making decisions, difficulty concentrating, feeling irritable or frustrated.
Thoughts
- ‘I can't cope'
- ‘This is all too much for me'
If you recognise that you are feeling particularly stressed at the moment, it is important to take care to avoid further stressors, and try to take ‘extra care‘ of yourself.
Dealing with stress
Short term strategies
- The first and most immediate thing you can do to help your stress levels is to stop what you are doing and to breathe slowly and deeply
- Stretch or shake the tension out of your body
- Remove yourself from your situation for a few minutes to do something different
Longer term strategies
- Exercise regularly
- Reduce your caffeine intake (in tea, coffee, cola drinks and chocolate)
- Adopt a regular sleep pattern
- Learn a relaxation technique that works for you (e.g. yoga, tai chi or listen to a relaxation CD from your GP)
- Try to find support through friends, family or local organisations
- Use problem solving techniques to help overcome the main causes of stress