What is stress?
Stress is a feeling of being under an immense amount of pressure, where demands exceed available personal and social resources. This pressure can be a consequence of day to day activities such as increased workload, an argument that causes upset or an upcoming deadline. The most harmful type of stress is chronic stress which manifests over a long period and a person finds it difficult to see an escape from the cause of stress. Chronic stress can have huge implications on physical health such as low immunity levels, digestive and intestinal difficulties or mental health such as depression. Therefore, early detection and management is essential in the prevention of long term damage to body and mind.
What are the symptoms of stress?
Everyone experiences stress and while stress affects everyone differently there are common signs and symptoms to look out for:
• Feeling of constant worry or anxiety
• Feelings of being overwhelmed
• Difficulty concentrating
• Lack of motivation
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Low mood
• Irritability or anger
• Difficulty relaxing
• Low self esteem
• Eating more or less than usual
• Changes in sleep
• Excessive use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs to cope
• Social withdrawal
• Aches and pains, particularly muscle tension
• Feelings of nausea or dizziness
• Loss of sex drive
Psychologists at Psyma can help you identify what’s causing your stress and can help you implement effective stress management techniques.
