Understanding
Stress
Understanding and managing the body's response to life pressures and overwhelming demands
Understanding
Stress
Understanding and managing the body's response to life pressures and overwhelming demands
Understanding
Stress
Understanding and managing the body's response to life pressures and overwhelming demands
What does stress feel like?
Living with chronic stress means experiencing a constant state of physical and mental tension that makes it difficult to relax, focus, or feel in control of your daily life. Whether triggered by work pressures, financial worries, relationship conflicts, or major life changes, stress creates a persistent feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to cope effectively with demands. The experience often involves feeling like you're running on empty, with physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue combining with emotional symptoms like irritability, anxiety, and difficulty making decisions.
The impact extends beyond immediate discomfort, affecting sleep quality, relationships, work performance, and physical health over time. Many people describe feeling like they're constantly firefighting, reactive rather than proactive, with little time for rest or activities they enjoy. This creates a cycle where stress reduces your ability to cope effectively, leading to more stress and a gradual erosion of resilience and wellbeing.
Common Symptoms
Feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks and responsibilities
Physical tension including headaches, muscle aches, or jaw clenching
Difficulty sleeping or staying asleep due to racing thoughts
Irritability, mood swings, or feeling easily frustrated
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Changes in appetite or eating patterns
Fatigue despite feeling constantly busy or "wired"
Withdrawing from social activities or relationships
What does stress feel like?
Living with chronic stress means experiencing a constant state of physical and mental tension that makes it difficult to relax, focus, or feel in control of your daily life. Whether triggered by work pressures, financial worries, relationship conflicts, or major life changes, stress creates a persistent feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to cope effectively with demands. The experience often involves feeling like you're running on empty, with physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue combining with emotional symptoms like irritability, anxiety, and difficulty making decisions.
The impact extends beyond immediate discomfort, affecting sleep quality, relationships, work performance, and physical health over time. Many people describe feeling like they're constantly firefighting, reactive rather than proactive, with little time for rest or activities they enjoy. This creates a cycle where stress reduces your ability to cope effectively, leading to more stress and a gradual erosion of resilience and wellbeing.
Common Symptoms
Feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks and responsibilities
Physical tension including headaches, muscle aches, or jaw clenching
Difficulty sleeping or staying asleep due to racing thoughts
Irritability, mood swings, or feeling easily frustrated
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Changes in appetite or eating patterns
Fatigue despite feeling constantly busy or "wired"
Withdrawing from social activities or relationships
What does stress feel like?
Living with chronic stress means experiencing a constant state of physical and mental tension that makes it difficult to relax, focus, or feel in control of your daily life. Whether triggered by work pressures, financial worries, relationship conflicts, or major life changes, stress creates a persistent feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to cope effectively with demands. The experience often involves feeling like you're running on empty, with physical symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, and fatigue combining with emotional symptoms like irritability, anxiety, and difficulty making decisions.
The impact extends beyond immediate discomfort, affecting sleep quality, relationships, work performance, and physical health over time. Many people describe feeling like they're constantly firefighting, reactive rather than proactive, with little time for rest or activities they enjoy. This creates a cycle where stress reduces your ability to cope effectively, leading to more stress and a gradual erosion of resilience and wellbeing.
Common Symptoms
Feeling overwhelmed by daily tasks and responsibilities
Physical tension including headaches, muscle aches, or jaw clenching
Difficulty sleeping or staying asleep due to racing thoughts
Irritability, mood swings, or feeling easily frustrated
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Changes in appetite or eating patterns
Fatigue despite feeling constantly busy or "wired"
Withdrawing from social activities or relationships
History of Stress
From survival mechanism to modern health concern requiring active management
Early Human
Stress response develops as crucial survival mechanism, with fight-or-flight reactions helping humans respond to immediate physical threats through hormonal and physiological changes
Pre 1900s
Societal changes create new forms of chronic psychological stress, though understanding remains limited and stress-related symptoms often attributed to other causes or moral failings
1930s-50s
Hans Selye's pioneering research establishes stress as medical concept, identifying how prolonged stress affects physical health and coining terms like "general adaptation syndrome"
Present
Modern understanding recognises stress as major public health issue, with extensive research into chronic stress effects on mental and physical health, leading to evidence-based stress management interventions and workplace wellness programmes
History of Stress
From survival mechanism to modern health concern requiring active management
Early Human
Stress response develops as crucial survival mechanism, with fight-or-flight reactions helping humans respond to immediate physical threats through hormonal and physiological changes
Pre 1900s
Societal changes create new forms of chronic psychological stress, though understanding remains limited and stress-related symptoms often attributed to other causes or moral failings
1930s-50s
Hans Selye's pioneering research establishes stress as medical concept, identifying how prolonged stress affects physical health and coining terms like "general adaptation syndrome"
Present
Modern understanding recognises stress as major public health issue, with extensive research into chronic stress effects on mental and physical health, leading to evidence-based stress management interventions and workplace wellness programmes
History of Stress
From survival mechanism to modern health concern requiring active management
Early Human
Stress response develops as crucial survival mechanism, with fight-or-flight reactions helping humans respond to immediate physical threats through hormonal and physiological changes
Pre 1900s
Societal changes create new forms of chronic psychological stress, though understanding remains limited and stress-related symptoms often attributed to other causes or moral failings
1930s-50s
Hans Selye's pioneering research establishes stress as medical concept, identifying how prolonged stress affects physical health and coining terms like "general adaptation syndrome"
Present
Modern understanding recognises stress as major public health issue, with extensive research into chronic stress effects on mental and physical health, leading to evidence-based stress management interventions and workplace wellness programmes
Take our free self-test
Take our free self-test
Take our free self-test
Take a short self-test to see if counselling might make a difference.
Take a short self-test to see if counselling might make a difference.
Instructions
Answer based on the last 2 weeks. Choose the option that fits best. You’ll see your results at the end.
This short self-test screens for stress over the last 2 weeks. It isn’t a diagnosis, but it can help you decide next steps.
Instructions
Answer based on the last 2 weeks. Choose the option that fits best. You’ll see your results at the end.
This short self-test screens for stress over the last 2 weeks. It isn’t a diagnosis, but it can help you decide next steps.
Instructions
Answer based on the last 2 weeks. Choose the option that fits best. You’ll see your results at the end.
This short self-test screens for stress over the last 2 weeks. It isn’t a diagnosis, but it can help you decide next steps.
How therapy can help
Therapy for stress uses approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction, and relaxation training to help identify stress triggers and develop effective coping strategies. Treatment focuses on changing unhelpful thought patterns that amplify stress, developing time management and problem-solving skills, and learning relaxation techniques that activate the body's natural stress recovery systems. Therapists help individuals recognise early warning signs of stress overload and implement preventive strategies before reaching burnout.
Treatment emphasises building resilience, improving work-life balance, and developing a personalised toolkit of stress management techniques that fit individual lifestyles and preferences. Many people experience significant improvements within weeks of learning stress management skills, with long-term benefits including better physical health, improved relationships, and greater life satisfaction as stress levels become more manageable.
Benefits of Therapy
Learning to identify personal stress triggers and warning signs
Developing practical coping strategies for managing daily pressures
Improving time management and prioritisation skills
Building resilience and emotional regulation abilities
Learning relaxation techniques and mindfulness practices
Addressing perfectionism and unrealistic expectations
Improving work-life balance and boundary setting
Frequently Asked Questions
Managing stress effectively and building resilience
Is some stress normal, or should I be worried about any stress?
What's the difference between stress and anxiety?
Can stress really cause physical health problems?
What if I can't remove the stressful situations from my life?
How therapy can help
Therapy for stress uses approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction, and relaxation training to help identify stress triggers and develop effective coping strategies. Treatment focuses on changing unhelpful thought patterns that amplify stress, developing time management and problem-solving skills, and learning relaxation techniques that activate the body's natural stress recovery systems. Therapists help individuals recognise early warning signs of stress overload and implement preventive strategies before reaching burnout.
Treatment emphasises building resilience, improving work-life balance, and developing a personalised toolkit of stress management techniques that fit individual lifestyles and preferences. Many people experience significant improvements within weeks of learning stress management skills, with long-term benefits including better physical health, improved relationships, and greater life satisfaction as stress levels become more manageable.
Benefits of Therapy
Learning to identify personal stress triggers and warning signs
Developing practical coping strategies for managing daily pressures
Improving time management and prioritisation skills
Building resilience and emotional regulation abilities
Learning relaxation techniques and mindfulness practices
Addressing perfectionism and unrealistic expectations
Improving work-life balance and boundary setting
Frequently Asked Questions
Managing stress effectively and building resilience
Is some stress normal, or should I be worried about any stress?
What's the difference between stress and anxiety?
Can stress really cause physical health problems?
What if I can't remove the stressful situations from my life?
How therapy can help
Therapy for stress uses approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction, and relaxation training to help identify stress triggers and develop effective coping strategies. Treatment focuses on changing unhelpful thought patterns that amplify stress, developing time management and problem-solving skills, and learning relaxation techniques that activate the body's natural stress recovery systems. Therapists help individuals recognise early warning signs of stress overload and implement preventive strategies before reaching burnout.
Treatment emphasises building resilience, improving work-life balance, and developing a personalised toolkit of stress management techniques that fit individual lifestyles and preferences. Many people experience significant improvements within weeks of learning stress management skills, with long-term benefits including better physical health, improved relationships, and greater life satisfaction as stress levels become more manageable.
Benefits of Therapy
Learning to identify personal stress triggers and warning signs
Developing practical coping strategies for managing daily pressures
Improving time management and prioritisation skills
Building resilience and emotional regulation abilities
Learning relaxation techniques and mindfulness practices
Addressing perfectionism and unrealistic expectations
Improving work-life balance and boundary setting
Frequently Asked Questions
Managing stress effectively and building resilience
Is some stress normal, or should I be worried about any stress?
What's the difference between stress and anxiety?
Can stress really cause physical health problems?
What if I can't remove the stressful situations from my life?
Meet our Therapists
Meet our Therapists
Meet our specialists who can help guide your recovery
