What is stress?
Find out about how stress might be impacting your life, and how to manage it.
What is stress?
Stress is an ongoing feeling that one or more things are difficult to deal with, emotionally or practically. It doesn’t just affect your mind; physical changes in your body may occur due to stress, and it also influences your feelings and behaviours.
We feel stressed when we think that we don’t have the resources or skills to cope with a situation we are in.
We might, for example, feel stress at work if we think that we don’t have the time (an important resource) to manage our workload (a situation).
Stress is very common, and most people experience stress from time to time. Stress can sometimes be helpful; it can motivate us to focus and work hard if we need to meet a deadline. However, if stress lasts for a long time and is not managed properly, it can have a significant impact on our day-to-day life.
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How does stress occur?
We experience stress as part of a process, involving internal and external factors (or ‘stressors’). The way we interpret stressors determines how we experience stress and how we manage it. For example, if we are faced with a stressor (e.g. an increased workload) and we feel we don’t have the appropriate resources to cope with it (e.g. sufficient time to complete it, this results in stress.
However, once we have learned how to manage stress, we are more able to cope with the stressor when we are next faced with it. For example, we could try to change the situation (e.g. share our workload or extend the deadline) or change our relation to the situation (e.g. remind ourselves that it’s OK to ask for help).
What if I can’t change the situation?
Sometimes we are unable to remove ourselves from the factor that is causing us stress (for example, our workplace) and it may feel like we have no control over the situation.
Many of us experience stress as a result of external factors, such as our workplace or events happening in the world (e.g. Coronavirus). While we may not be able to change the situation itself, we can change how they affect our wellbeing.
If you are being affected by an external cause of stress, you could try the following approach:
1. Define the issue – separate facts from opinion and think about underlying issues that may be contributing to your stress.
For example:
Fact: “My workload has increased.”
Opinion: “If I don’t do this, my manager will think I’m useless.”
Underlying issues: “I’m worried about letting people down.”
2. Think of new ideas – consider other options that are possible within the situation and can help to reduce your stress. For example, sharing your workload with a colleague or negotiating a later date for it to be completed.
3. Choose an alternative – decide which option is most helpful for you in your current situation. For example, sharing your workload may not be possible, but negotiating a new deadline is something that can be done.
4. Implement and evaluate – put your new plan into action and notice how this affects your stress levels. This model can help us find new ways to respond to stressful situations that cannot be avoided, and allows us to manage our stress more effectively in future.
Do I have a problem with stress?
Stress is a natural response to life events and feelings, but it’s important to find ways to reduce our stress levels before they become overwhelming. Read on for tips and advice about how to do this.
Do I need help with my stress?
While experiencing some stress is normal, stress needs to be managed properly or it can lead to health difficulties.
Sometimes it’s tempting to try and ‘power through’ and hide how stressed we are feeling – perhaps you feel responsible for your colleagues or family and don’t want to feel as if you are letting them down. However, your wellbeing matters, and keeping an eye on your stress levels will make it easier to understand and manage in the long run.
Is stress affecting my life?
If you’d like to, tick any of the following statements that you feel are relevant to you. Once you've done this, you can scroll down to the next section to learn more about how much stress may be affecting you, and what can help.
You are not alone...
Many of us struggle with stress at times, and it's OK to feel this way. Watch this video from Jenny to hear more about how stress can affect us and what can help.
Self-Prescription: How can I manage stress?
Click below for tips and advice about how to understand and manage stress.
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Option 1: Acknowledge your triggers
When we feel stressed, it can be difficult to pinpoint when the feeling started. Try to pay attention to your triggers; keeping a log of when you feel stressed can help you work out the potential causes. This will narrow down what might be triggering your stress and can help you feel more in control of it.
This stress diary may be useful to consider, as well as rating your stress level from 0-10. At a later date, go back and review how you felt about, and responded to, certain events, and think about whether your response now would be different to how it was then.
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Option 2: Give yourself space
If stress is starting to feel overwhelming, try and take a break from the situation. Getting fresh air or going somewhere quiet may help.
Removing yourself from the situation can help you get away from what is triggering stress for you and give you time to reflect on what happened (you could use the table above to help you reflect).
You could give yourself some space by doing something to take your mind off the stress. This could be reading in a quiet space, listening to the radio or a podcast, or calling a friend.
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Option 3: Take a breath
It’s easy to get caught up by our emotions in the heat of the moment, especially when we are experiencing stressful situations.
Sometimes it can be helpful to practise Mindfulness, a process where we notice our thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations when they occur, and acknowledge how these may be affecting our stress levels. This can help to reduce stress as it allows us to understand how we respond to stress, and gives us space to decide the best way to respond rather than reacting automatically.
If you find it difficult to find time for Mindfulness, simply drawing attention to your breathing can help to reduce stress by making you feel more grounded.
Practising ‘square breathing’, or ‘4x4 breathing’ can help you bring your breathing and heart rate back to normal - you can find out more here.
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Option 4: Let it out
Sometimes talking about your feelings out loud and getting things off your chest can make a big difference. It’s OK to ask for help if you’re struggling; reaching out to a friend, partner, or someone else in your support network can help reduce your stress levels and keep you grounded.
You could look into joining a local support group where you can speak to people who have had similar experiences with stress in a safe environment. Your GP can help you with this, or you can look for organisations offering a range of support in your local area here.
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Option 5: Focus on the here and now
Feeling stressed can often lead us to jump to the worst-case scenario, which makes the situation feel even more out of control.
For example, if you think “I have to finish this work or I’ll get fired”, try taking a step back and questioning if these thoughts are true or not. It can be helpful to voice your fears with someone you trust, as this can help you manage your stress and focus on more likely outcomes.
You can also try reframing your thoughts by finding different ways to approach stressful situations in the first section of this module.
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Get Help
If you feel that your stress is getting in the way of your day-to-day life, it may be a good idea to get some help. Click here to find mental health support services in your area.
