How to deal with stress

Stress causes physical changes in the body designed to help you take on threats or difficulties. You may notice that your heart pounds, your breathing quickens, your muscles tense, and you start to sweat. This is sometimes known as the fight or flight response. Once the threat or difficulty passes, these physical effects usually fade. But if you're constantly stressed, your body stays in a state of high alert and you may develop stress-related symptoms. Check your mood with our mood self-assessment quiz.

Symptoms of stress Stress can affect how you feel emotionally, mentally and physically, and also how you behave. How you may feel emotionally overwhelmed

irritable and "wound up"

anxious or fearful

lacking in self-esteem How you may feel mentally racing thoughts

constant worrying

difficulty concentrating

difficulty making decisions How you may feel physically headaches

muscle tension or pain

dizziness

sleep problems

feeling tired all the time

eating too much or too little How you may behave drinking or smoking more

snapping at people

avoiding things or people you are having problems with Visit the Mind website for more signs of stress.

What causes stress? Big life changes often create stress, even happy events like having a baby or planning a wedding. Feeling like you aren't in control of events in your life – for example, if you're diagnosed with a serious illness or you get made redundant – can also cause stress. Stress may be related to: work – for example, unemployment, a high workload or retirement (see Beat stress at work)

family – for example, divorce, relationship difficulties or being a carer

housing – for example, moving house or problems with neighbours

personal issues – for example, coping with a serious illness, bereavement or financial problems It's important to tackle the causes of stress in your life if you can. Avoiding problems rather than facing them can make things worse. But it's not always possible to change a stressful situation. You may need to accept there's nothing you can do about it and refocus your energies elsewhere. For example, if you're a carer, find ways to take breaks and do the things you enjoy.

When to get help for stress If you've tried self-help techniques and they aren't working, you can get free psychological therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on the NHS. You don't need a referral from your GP. You can refer yourself directly to a psychological therapies service. Find a psychological therapies service in your area Or you can get a referral from your GP if you prefer. You can also find mental health apps and tools in the NHS apps library.