What Is Stress? How To Cope With Stress?

What Is Stress?

Stress is something that everyone will go through at some point in their life, some will experience it more than others and that’s fine. Stress is common although most people aren’t aware of it or don’t know how to combat stress.

Stress symptoms can also manifest in various ways, this is different for every person and can be more severe in some people and not as bad for others.

Put simply, stress is the manifestation of the body feeling threatened or under pressure. Stress can be both a good and bad thing however, it can help us reach our goals. Too much stress can have a negative impact.

Although stress can be motivating to help us achieve goals in our daily life and can help us meet the demands of home, work and family life. Too much stress can affect our moods and even relationships with others.

Too much stress can make a person feel out of control, anxious, irritable and can also affect a persons self esteem. Too much stress over a long period of time can lead to physical, emotional and mental exhaustion, also known as burnout.

What Are Stress Symptoms?

There are many signs of stress and signs of burnout that people can look out for. They may be subtle but at the same time they can have a huge negetive impact on a persons life and health.

Symptoms of burnout and stress are as follow;

• Feeling overwhelmed
• Having racing thoughts or difficulty concentrating
• Being irritable and frustrated easily
• Feel constantly worried, anxious or scared
• Feel a lack of self-confidence (self-esteem)
• Having trouble sleeping, feeling tired all the time or waking up often
• Avoiding things or people you are having problems with
• Eating more or less than usual
• Drinking or smoking more than usual

Symptoms of stress can be greater in people that have more issues or are not dealing with stress when it happens. It’s important to treat stress when it happens, like a broken ankle.

I hope this stress symptoms checklist has helped, they’re common symptoms most people have and great ways to see if you’re suffering with stress.

What Triggers Stress?

Stress effects everyone differently, which means what causes a person to stress will also be different and people can handle different levels of stress which is important to keep in mind.

Pressure in everyday life can cause stress, pressure from home, school, work, illness, sudden life changes or financial worries can be common causes of stress.

Common causes of stress can be, although are not limited to the list below; remember to keep in mine stress is different for everyone.

• Difficulties in our personal lives and relationships
• Unexpected life changes, such as moving house, having a baby or losing a job
• Money difficulties, such as debt or struggling to afford daily essentials
• Health issues, either for you or someone close to you
• Pregnancy and children
• Problems with housing conditions, maintenance or tenancy
• A difficult or troubled work environment
• Feeling lonely, unsupported or alone

How To Deal With Stress And Burnout

Stress issues can be horrible, trust me I’ve had them often and I’ve managed to devise a few ways to deal with stress. Stress balls aren’t worth it, I’ve spoken to loads of people who hate them or just pull them apart so not them!

When you first have symptoms of stress it’s important to identify these and start to manage it. To deal with stress I’d suggest the following stress coping mechanisims.

• Split up jobs/chores into smaller tasks, make lists
• Talk to people, friends and family that can help
• Allow time for positivity and relaxing time
• Become active to burn off negative attitude, exercise
• Plan ahead to reduce stress

One way that I like to cope with stress is using my anxiety comfort box, as said above allowing time for positivity and relaxing. The comfort box is a great way to unwind and de-stress.

Support For Stress

There are lots of ways to get support if you are struggling with stress. My first suggestion would be self help, for example, I use my comfort box, I read books about positive mental health and I change lifestyle habits to combat my personal stress.

You can also contact the NHS if you’re seeking more help, going to your GP is also a great suggestion, more so if you have a good relationship with your doctor.

There are also various charities than you can access support through, the mind charity being at the forefront of mental health advocacy, so don’t hesitate to reach out for support.

Stress Conclusion

If you’re feeling stressed out, it’s important to treat the symptoms when they first happen. Stress symptoms in men and stress symptoms in women can be different due to lifestyle so never compare yourself to someone else.

Stress symptoms on the skin are also a thing, they can make you come up in a rash and also give you headaches so don’t ignore it or it will get worse!