Taking steps to manage stress better
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Signs of stress
Stress is the feeling of struggling to cope because of too much mental or emotional pressure.
For example, dealing with changing demands and pressures from different areas of life, such as:
- children’s needs
- money worries
- relationships
or
- concerns about work
If you think you're suffering from work-related stress you should speak to your employer.
Common signs of stress can include:
- sleeping problems
- sweating
- eating more or eating less
- difficulty concentrating
- drinking more alcohol
- using drugs
You may feel:
- anxious
- irritable
- low in self-esteem
Also, you may:
- have racing thoughts
- worry constantly
- go over things in your head
People have different ways of reacting to stress. You may notice that you lose your temper more easily, drink more, or act unreasonably.
People sometimes experience headaches, muscle tension or pain, or dizziness and fatigue.
Sometimes when stress is severe or goes on for a long time it can lead to burnout, with extreme emotional and physical exhaustion.
Dealing with stress
There are some practical steps you can take to deal with stress:
- meet with friends and family; take the time to talk about how you and they are feeling and listen to others
- share personal experiences of coping might also help you and someone else deal with stress better
- be active to help to reduce the effects of stress on the body and mind - even if it’s a gentle walk in the park, a cycle, gardening or even housework
- take part in the free online stress control classes available
- check out self-help toolkits and learn new skills to help you cope better with stress
- stop, pause and take a moment to be still and look around you - focus on your breathing
- think about reducing your screen time and browsing social media if it's having a negative effect
- try to become aware of what tend to cause you stress and think about reducing these stress triggers - coping strategies can help
The key is to take positive action before stress really begins to affect your health and wellbeing.