Stress

A woman suffering from depression and stress
Average rating: 3 out of 5 star rating
If you're feeling stressed you'll probably have physical symptoms. The most common symptoms of stress are sweating, palpitations, muscle tension, stomach pains, headaches, dry mouth, bowel and bladder problems. Stress can also make you feel irritable, tense and depressed. Stress can make you ill but there are many ways to tackle it.

Start by keeping a diary to identify the specific causes of your stress. Then help your stress by learning deep breathing and relaxation techniques or taking regular exercise. Talking therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy and medication such as beta blockers can also help stress.

For a full medical explanation of available treatments for stress from patient.co.uk, read on.

This leaflet gives some general tips on how to reduce stress. However, see a doctor if you develop persistent anxiety symptoms.

- Read more: what exactly is stress?

More help and advice

- Expert advice on beating stress
- Tips on coping with stress
- Tips on getting better sleep
- Read in-depth info on anxiety disorders
- Is stress making you fat?
- Read more about problem drinking

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Average rating:

3 out of 5 star rating

Your comments

  • Slim, posted 1 year ago

    I sympathise with you because I lived the same kind of ordeal a long time ago in my life. It is hard to live with people who collectively think you've done something wrong despite of the fact that you didn't. How can you convince everyone that it is not your fault? The human brain is more readily conditioned to believe the bad news and reject the honest claims you are making to defend yourself. If you stay where you are you will start to believe that it is your fault and you live an ordeal with the guilt. I think your best immidiate course of action is to move somewhere the people accusing you cannot reach you. In my case I emigrated knowing that all the false claims about me were rubbish and they were fuelled by people who hated me. It is not running away, it is regaining your strengths and thinking straight in another environment that is not biased against you. Nobody can fight against everybody alone, it is not a balanced fight. After a long life somewhere else you comeback to the place you were treated unfairly and you probably, find out that a lot of people have found the trurh by themselves and ask you for forgiveness. They say time is a heeler. Give yourself another chance by switching off this unlucky event in your life and switching on another life. After all you deserve it. You haven't done anything wrong. Time doesn't wait for you, no time fro crying over spilled milk. Live another life. If there is no sunshine in your town today don't wait for it until it comes back, it can be all your life. There is always sunshine somewhere else in the world and right now. I hope my words can help lift your mood up and if they do I don't ask for anything in return apart from the little satisfaction of knowing that my words lead to something positive in the life of another person. Cheer up there is always tomorrow and tomorrow might be brighter.

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  • anne chrystall, posted 1 year ago

    i lost my fiance just over 3 weeks ago. he commited suicide. my head is all over the place because people, mainly his family and friends who are blaming me. i dread leaving the house because of the abuse they shout at me and my son even the neighbours have started on him by blaming him. i cant sleep properly at night, and when all the trouble starts i cant eat. i never ate for a whole week when he died because i felt guilty that he couldn't eat. every day its a struggle to get out of my bed because i feel there is nothing to look forward to anymore. when he was here we did lots of things together he phoned me at least ten times a day and at the end of each call he told me he loved me even before he went to work. i miss that so so much. i'm on the high priority list for a move from my doctor. can anyone give me any advice how to keep me going until i get a move?

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  • frances - lifeskills, posted 1 year ago

    Reading Donna's article brought home to me just how despairing and isolating chronic stress and stress related disorders can be. It sort of sneaks up on you and before you know it your life is in disarray . I am now a Lifeskills Trainer after having had my own issues to deal with. I would liek people to be able to uunderstand the importance of Lifeskills and how they contribute practical easy solutions to moving forward out of awful stress induced states. I would urge anyone in similar circumstances to seek support from every possibe source with a view to your regaining yourself or else it can swallow you whole and you lose your real sense of self. I have reservations about medical drugs as a sole solution - it is not!! I will try to add an article on Lifeskills in this section if I get permission. Donna if it helps feel free to email me for further information, good luck!

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  • Donna, posted 1 year ago

    Please help. I'm not sure if i'm just well stressed, anxiety, depression, hormonal etc All i no is that i cant carry on like this! Its getting sooooo bad now, that i'm off work on the sick now - although, at the minute i'm off becuase i've just had a hernia operation - but i can cope with that, i cant cope with how i'm feeling, and have been feeling for quite some time now. since October last year, its been unbearable. I've locked myself away in my bedroom, continually cried. Panic over anything and everything. Felt that i couldn't cope with anything at all - debts, work, kids, appointments to anything about anything - usually important every day things that i really have to do - but i just haven't been able to cope at all. Yes, i've had to go to work, but i put this big smiley face (front) on and everyone thinks i'm a really happy jolly person and wonders how i can smile with all the crap that happens in my life, but then, get home, and i cry and cry and cry! Lately, i've not had to go to work - because of the op - and to be totally honest, i really dont want to have to even go back to work. But i'm perminantly low! I've locked myself away from everyone - kids, that really need to be seen to - i mean they are not babies like, the youngest is 14 in june-but i've locked myself away from everything and everyone. I've cried so much i dont no where the tears are still coming from. I've taken sleeping tablets during the day as well as the night to sleep away the horrible way i feel. Last night was really bad. tired, thought i would do without sleeping tabs, 3am in the morning i had to take some - i was trembling big time, i couldn't stop myself from shaking! My mind starts worrying about EVERYTHING and anything! Please help, its not fair to my children for me to be this way and its gettting worse!

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  • Adrian, posted 2 years ago

    I fill down wat shut I do? Please hellp.

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