1. What is Stress?
Stress can be defined as the way you feel when you’re under abnormal
pressure. For example, if you are speaking in public for the first time, if you
are rushing to catch the last train home, or if you are made redundant.
All sorts of situations can cause stress. The most common, however involve
work, money matters and relationships with partners, children or other family
members. Stress may be caused either by major upheavals and life events such as
divorce, unemployment, moving house and bereavement, or by a series of minor
irritations such as feeling undervalued at work or dealing with difficult
children. Sometimes there are no obvious causes.
Stressful events that are outside the range of normal human experience, for
example being abused or tortured, may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
For further information on PTSD, please see our factsheet
below.
Some stress can be positive and research has suggested that a moderate level
of stress makes us perform better. It also makes us more alert and can help us
in challenging situations such as job interviews or public speaking. Stressful
situations can also be exhilarating and some people actually thrive on the
excitement that comes with dangerous sports or other `high-risk' activities.
But stress is only healthy as a short-lived response. Excessive or prolonged
stress can lead to illness and physical and emotional exhaustion. Taken to
extremes, stress can be a killer.
2. What are the symptoms of stress?
Physical
changes
When you are stressed, your body
produces more of the so-called 'fight or flight' chemicals which prepare your
body for an emergency. Adrenaline and noradrenaline raise your blood pressure,
increase the rate at which your heart beats and increase the rate at which you
perspire. They can also reduce blood flow to your skin and reduce your stomach
activity. Cortisol releases fat and sugar into your system (but also reduces the
efficiency of your immune system.) All of these changes make it easier for you
to fight or run away.
Unfortunately these changes are less
helpful if you are stuck in a busy office or on an overcrowded train. You can't
fight and you can't run away. Because of this, you can't use the chemicals your
own body has produced to protect you. Over time these chemicals and the changes
they produce can seriously damage your health.
For example, you may start to
experience headaches, nausea and indigestion. You may breathe more quickly,
perspire more, have palpitations or suffer from various aches and pains. Longer
term you may be putting yourself at risk from heart attacks and stokes.
Emotional changes
When you are stressed you may experience many different feelings, including
anxiety, fear, anger, frustration and depression. These feelings can feed on
each other and can themselves produce physical symptoms - making you feel even
worse. Extreme anxiety can cause giddiness, heart palpitations, headaches or
stomach disorders. Many of these symptoms may make you feel so unwell that you
then worry that you have some serious physical conditions such as heart disease
or cancer – making you even more stressed.
Behavioural changes
When you are stressed you may behave differently. For example, you may become
withdrawn, indecisive or inflexible. You may not be able to sleep properly. You
may be irritable or tearful all the time. There may be a change in your sexual
habits, and even if you were previously mild-mannered you may suddenly become
verbally or physically aggressive.
3. Who is affected by stress?
All of us can probably recognise at least some of the feelings described
above, and may have felt stressed or anxious at some time or other.
Research has shown that around 12 million adults see their GP’s with mental
health problems each year. Most of these suffer from anxiety and depression much
of it stress related. It’s estimated that about 45 million working days are
lost each year through anxiety and stress-related conditions – costing
industry more than £3000 million.
Some people seem to be more affected by stress than others. For some people,
just getting out of the door on time each morning can be a very stressful
experience. Others are more relaxed and easy going and seem to cope better with
pressure. If you think you are prone to stress there are various things you can
do to help yourself.
4. How can you help yourself?
- An important step in tackling stress is to realise that it is causing you
a problem. You need to make the connection between feeling tired or ill with
the pressures you are faced with. Do not ignore physical warnings such
as tense muscles, over-tiredness, headaches or migraines.
- If you find yourself becoming angry or upset you may find it helpful to
take time out, even if its only for five minutes. Get yourself a drink of
water or take a walk around the block until you feel calmer.
- If you notice you are becoming stressed, try to relax your muscles and
calm yourself down by slow, deep breathing. Start by taking a deep breath,
hold this for a count of three and then slowly breathe out. Continue this
slow breathing until you feel more relaxed and then continue with what you
were doing.
- Once you have recognised you are suffering from stress, try to identify
the underlying causes. Sort the possible reasons for your stress into those
with a practical solution, those that will get better anyway, given time,
and those you can’t do anything about. Try to let go of those in the
second and third groups – there is no point in worrying about things you
can’t change or things that will sort themselves out.
- Some problems may be more complicated and need to be dealt with head on.
If you are going through a bad patch in your marriage, for instance, you
have to begin to talk things through. This might be difficult to do unaided,
so you may need to call on outside help from an organisation like Relate
which has trained counsellors.
- Once you’ve started to deal with the immediate causes of stress, try to
review your lifestyle. Are you taking on too much? Are there things you are
doing which could be handed over to someone else? Can you do things in a
more leisurely way? You may need to prioritise things you are trying to
achieve and reorganise your life so that you are not trying to do everything
at once.
- You can help protect yourself from stress by in a number of ways. For
example a healthy diet will help prevent you becoming overweight and will
reduce the risks of other diet-related diseases.
- If possible, try to keep smoking and drinking to a minimum. They may seem
to reduce tension, but in fact they can make problems worse. They can put
you at more risk of physical consequences of stress because of the damage
done to the body. You may also find it helpful to reduce the amount of
coffee you are drinking as the effects of caffeine on the body can be very
similar to the effects of stress and anxiety.
- Physical exercise can be very effective in relieving stress. If you are
feeling angry, for example, it can be really helpful to play a game of
bitter squash in which you take out your anger on the ball (but not on the
player). Even moderate physical exercise, like walking to the shops, can
help.
- Take time to relax. Saying `I just can't take the time off' is no use if
you are forced to take time off later through ill health. Striking a balance
between responsibility to others and responsibility to yourself is vital in
reducing stress levels. Relaxation classes can help you learn how to control
muscular tension and breathe correctly. Alternatively you could try to spend
more time on leisure activities such as sports, hobbies or evening classes.
- Sleeping problems are common when you’re suffering from stress, but try
to ensure you get enough rest. Try not to take sleeping pills for longer
than a night or two.
- One of the best antidotes for stress is enjoying yourself so try to bring
some fun into your life by giving yourself treats and rewards for positive
actions, attitudes and thoughts. Even simple pleasures like a relaxing bath,
a pleasant walk, or an interesting book can all help you deal with stress.
- Try to keep things in proportion and don't be too hard on yourself.
After all, we all have bad days.
5. Seeking help
Do not be afraid to seek professional help if you feel that you are no longer
able to manage things on your own. Many people feel reluctant to seek help as
they feel that it is an admission of failure. This is not the case and it is
important to get help as soon as possible so you can begin to get better.
The first person to approach is your family doctor. He or she should be able
to advise about treatment and may refer you to another local professional such
as a counsellor. Treatment can involve talking your problems through with
someone trained to deal with stress conditions and may also mean the use of
medication for a short period. There are also a number of voluntary
organisations which can help you to tackle the causes of stress and advise you
about ways to get better.
6. Further information
Organisations: a select list
- British Association for Counselling (BAC), 1 Regent Place, Rugby,
Warwickshire CV21 2PJ, United Kingdom. Tel: + 44 (0) 1788 578328 (24 hour
information line). Email: bac@bac.co.uk
Website: www.bac.co.uk/
BAC is the national voice on issues related to counselling. It aims
to promote the understanding and awareness of counselling throughout
society. Names and addresses of qualified counsellors can be obtained from
the above address.
- Phobic Action, Claybury Grounds, Manor Road, Woodford Green, Essex
IG8 8PR, United Kingdom. Tel: + 44 (0) 1452 856021. Offer practical
self-help to people affected by anxiety and their carers.
- Relate, Herbert Gray College, Little Church Street, Rugby CV21 3AP, United
Kingdom. Tel: + 44 (0) 1788 573241. Email: enquiries@national.relate.org.uk
Website: www.relate.org.uk
Provides counselling and psychosexual therapy to adults experiencing
relationship difficulties. There are over 100 Relate centres in England,
Ireland and Wales. To contact your nearest Relate centre, look in your local
telephone directory.
- STAND, 46-48 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0EB, United Kingdom. Tel: + 44
(0) 20 7881 9276. Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7881 9009. Email: info@standinternational.org
Website: www.depression.org.uk
Provide an information service promoting better understanding of common
mental health problems, such as stress, anxiety and depression.
Websites: a select list
- Stress.org.uk
Provides stress-related links e.g. to complementary therapy.
- The
Times - Stress Manager. A range of articles on stress and stress
management.
Publications: a select list
- All
About Anxiety. Mental Health Foundation booklet. March, 2000. 26 pages.
A booklet for anyone wanting to know more about anxiety.
- Managing Workplace Stress by S Cartwright and C Cooper. Sage. London,
1997.
- Mental
Health in the Workplace: Tackling the effects of stress. Mental Health
Foundation. May, 2000. 24 pages. A booklet which reviews the effects of
stress at work, and those factors in the workplace that can cause or
contribute to stress.
- Understanding
Anxiety. Mind, 2000. A booklet setting out the basic facts about
anxiety and how to cope with it.
- Understanding Stress. British Medical Association, 1999. 80
page booklet.
Computer packages
- Restoring
the Balance : a self help program for managing anxiety and depression.
CD-ROM. Mental Health Foundation, 2000.
If you would like to see more resources on this subject, including non-UK
organisations, websites, publications and events, please visit Connects,
the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Portal. Registration is free and
will only take a few moments of your time.
What do you think?
If you or someone you know has experienced Stress and you would like to share
your views with other people why not post a message to our Stress
bulletin board. We are especially interested to hear about any problems you
may have encountered and how you overcame them.
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