Stress Awareness Day
We know what it is like to feel stressed and being under pressure is a normal part of life. But becoming overwhelmed by stress can lead to mental health problems or make existing problems worse. On 2 November 2022, Stress Awareness Day we will be highlighting the ways that stress can affect people and what you can do to manage your stress before it becomes a problem.
Millions around the UK experience stress and it is damaging to our health and wellbeing. For example, at some point in the last year, 74% of us have felt so stressed that we have felt unable to cope (Mental Health Foundation).
Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. When you are stressed, your body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
Stress is your body’s reaction to help you deal with pressure or threats. This is sometimes called a “fight or flight” response. Your stress hormone levels usually return to normal once the pressure or threat has passed.
A small amount of stress can be useful. It can motivate you to take action and get tasks completed. It can also make you feel alive and excited. But too much stress can cause negative effects such as a change in your mood, your body and relationship issues.
What is stress?
Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. When you are stressed, your body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
Stress is your body’s reaction to help you deal with pressure or threats. This is sometimes called a “fight or flight” response. Your stress hormone levels usually return to normal once the pressure or threat has passed.
A small amount of stress can be useful. It can motivate you to take action and get tasks completed. It can also make you feel alive and excited. But too much stress can cause negative effects such as a change in your mood, your body and relationship issues.
Signs and causes of stress
What are the signs of stress?
Stress affects different people in different ways. Below is a list of some of the common signs. Some of these things will not apply to you. You may have other signs of stress that we have not listed.
| Physical | Mental | Behaviour |
| Headaches | Worry about future or past | Crying |
| Sweating | Imagining the worst | Eating more or less |
| Stomach problems | Being forgetful | Biting your nails |
| Muscle tension or pain | Not concentrating | Avoiding others |
| Feeling tired or dizzy | Feeling irritable | Sleep problems |
| Sexual problems | Racing thoughts | Rushing tasks |
| Fast heartbeat | Going over and over things in your mind | Drinking or smoking more |
| Dry mouth | Making mistakes | Being irritable |
| Short of breath | Feeling low | Being snappy |
What causes stress?
Almost anything that affects your daily life, work or relationships can cause stress. Even seemingly small issues can cause stress if they go on for a long time. Some people are more affected by stress than others. It can depend on factors such as your personality, upbringing, your work and home life.
Situations or events that seem positive can cause stress, such as having a baby or getting married. If you feel stressed in these situations you may struggle to understand why. You may not feel that you can talk to anyone about your feelings or struggle with guilt. But feeling stressed in these situations is very common.
Below are some examples of things than can cause stress.
| Situation | Event |
| Not having a job | Getting married or divorced |
| Not sleeping well | Being diagnosed with an illness |
| Money worries | Moving house |
| Work problems | Having a job interview |
| Being bullied | Someone close to you passing away |
| Problems looking after children | Being evicted from your home |
| Health issues | Leaving hospital after a long stay |
| Family or relationship problems | Going to court |
| Not having a routine | Going to a benefits assessment |
Are stress and mental illness linked?
Can mental illness cause stress?
Having a mental illness could cause stress for many reasons such as:
- having to give up work because you are unwell,
- spending too much money when you are unwell and get into debt,
- having issues with welfare benefits,
- being discharged from mental health services but don’t feel ready,
- not getting on well with your doctor, care coordinator, or anyone else involved in your care,
- being worried about how long it will take you to recover from your illness,
- not knowing how to manage your symptoms, or
- being worried about side effects if you are taking medication.
Can stress cause a mental illness?
Stress is not an illness itself, but it can lead to you becoming unwell. For example, if stress lasts for a long time it can lead to anxiety and depression. Experiencing a very stressful or traumatic event could cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Stress can make an existing mental illness worse. Such as causing a psychotic relapse.
You may use alcohol or drugs to deal with your stress. But if you do this on a regular basis you may need to seek support. Using alcohol or drugs in the short-term may help you to cope. But it may make your mental health worse in the long term.
You can find more information about:
Self help
How can I help myself?
There are things that you can do to help reduce your symptoms of stress. This is also known as self-care. There isn’t a set process for where you should start, or what you should do, everyone is different. You may need to try different things until you find what works for you.
Stress diary
If you don’t know what is causing your stress, it might help to keep a ‘stress diary’ for a few weeks. It may help you to identify things that you may be able to change.
You could write down when you feel stressed. You should include what happens just before or after you feel stressed.
It could also help you to identify things which can make you unwell. These things are known as ‘triggers.’ Identifying your triggers can help you to have more control over your stress levels.
There is a template for a stress diary at the end of the factsheet, which you can download by clicking the link at the top of this page.
Get practical advice
You may be able to take steps to change the cause of your stress. There are lots of places you can get practical advice on different issues. An advice service may be a good place to start. They may be able to support you to solve an issue. For example, you may want advice on:
- housing,
- benefits,
- money or
- employment.
You can find details of different organisations that give practical advice in the ‘Useful contacts’ section at the bottom of this page.
Manage your money
Money can cause many different issues such as poverty, debt and relationship problems.
Making a budget sheet could help. This will help you work out what you can afford to pay.
If you are worried about your debts, there are places that you can get advice and support, such as StepChange, Citizens Advice and National Debtline. Their contact details can be found in the ‘Useful Contacts’ at the bottom of this page.
You can find more information about:
Plan your time
If you plan your time this can make you feel more in control of things. Here are some ideas that could help you do this:
- write lists of what you need to do,
- prioritise the most important tasks,
- share tasks with others if you can,
- don’t put things off, and
- set yourself steps and goals for complicated tasks.
Remember to reward yourself for any achievements.
Talk to someone
Telling someone how you are feeling may help with stress. It can help to ‘offload’ your worries. You may feel comfortable talking to someone you know. Or you might prefer to talk to someone who doesn’t know you. You could call an emotional support line or see a counsellor. We have added some emotional support lines at the bottom of this page.
Make lifestyle changes
Limit your caffeine intake
Coffee, tea, energy drinks and chocolate contain caffeine. Reducing your caffeine intake could help you sleep better. Especially if you reduce it in the evening. You could have herbal tea, a warm milky drink or warm cordial instead.
Exercise
Exercise can relieve stress. It can also help you to stay healthy. There are lots of ways to exercise, and people enjoy different things. You could try cycling, walking, running, team activities or going to the gym. Doing housework or gardening is also a way to exercise.
Get enough sleep
If you’re dealing with stress you may struggle to sleep well. If you don’t get enough sleep this can cause problems such as poor concentration and low mood. Long term sleep issues can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
If you struggle with sleep, you can try to:
- talk to your doctor,
- refer yourself for talking therapy, or
- practice sleep hygiene.
Sleep hygiene means things like:
- having a regular bedtime routine,
- only using your bed for sleep,
- exercising regularly but avoiding lots of exercise too close to bedtime,
- cutting down on caffeine, especially in the evening,
- making the place you sleep is a comfortable temperature,
- making sure the place you sleep is dark,
- not using your phone or computer immediately before bedtime, and
- making sure that the place you sleep is tidy.
Eat a balanced diet
Eating a healthy balanced diet is good for your mental and physical health.
You can get more information on exercising, sleeping and eating a balanced diet from the NHS. You can find this by following this link:
Do something nice for yourself every day
It is important to do some things because you want to, not because you have to. This could include reading a book, watching a film or eating something you enjoy.
Online resources
There are websites which give information about how to manage your mental health. There are also websites which explain how you can use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to improve and manage your mental health. These can also be used for dealing with stress.
- NHS: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
- Mood Gym: www.moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome/new/splash;
- Mood Juice: www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk;
- Live life to the Full: www.llttf.com/index.php?section=page&page_seq=8&;
- Psychology Tools: www.psychologytools.com/
Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is a type of meditation to help you to be aware of the present moment and pay attention to it. This can help to deal with symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. You may be able to find online mindfulness course through YouTube or apps.
Use relaxation techniques
Relaxation can help you to deal with stress. And stop you from getting stress. Some people relax using meditation, aromatherapy or yoga.
You can find out more about:
