Mental Health - STRESS - Effects-on-your-body-feelings-and-behaviour

Effects on your body, feelings and behaviour

Stress symptoms may be affecting your health, even though you might not realize it. You may think illness is to blame for that nagging headache, your frequent insomnia or your decreased productivity at work. But stress may actually be the culprit.

Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behaviour. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can give you a jump on managing them. Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Of course, if you're not sure if stress is the cause or if you've taken steps to control your stress but your symptoms continue, see your doctor. Your doctor may want to check for other potential causes.

Also, if you have chest pain, especially if it occurs during physical activity or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, nausea, or pain radiating into your shoulder and arm, get emergency help immediately. These may be warning of a heart attack and not simply stress symptoms.

Common effects of stress:

On your body
- Headache.
- Muscle tension or pain.
- Chest pain.
- Fatigue.
- Change in sex drive.
- Stomach upset.
- Sleep problems.
On your mood:
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Lack of motivation or focus
- Irritability or anger
- Sadness or depression
On your behaviour:
- Overeating or undereating
- Angry outbursts
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Tobacco use
- Social withdrawal

View as PDF

Back

The Have I Got A Problem website is a free online resource to help people better understand any issues or concerns they may have about mental health or addiction. The website includes resources specifically focused to; general Mental Health, Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Insecurities, Self-harm Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Anger Management, Eating Disorders, Coping, general Addiction, Alcohol, Smoking, Gambling, Drugs, Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana (Cannabis) Ecstasy, PCP, Mephedrone, Ketamine & Crystal Meth.

The site was created to give the public information to help them understand mental health and addiction issues and to assist people in making better informed decisions about their life and personal choices.

www.haveigotaproblem.com was created and is run by 'Advising Communities’, which is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1061055)

Quotes

"Having a pet is really an effective for stress. I have a Labrador and I feel very relaxing while playing with him."

David

"To me, stress meant being unhappy, whereas I was really enjoying my life. But it was true: there was no work-life balance and I was living a high-stress life."

Liz

"When the doctor told me I’d burned myself out from too much stress, I found it difficult to believe. To me, stress meant being unhappy, whereas I was really enjoying my life."

Liz

"Reducing the impact of these stressful situations enables me to be more confident, more creative, and more comfortable."

Harry

"Stress is like a glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

Annie

"Remember, you have stress, but stress doesn’t have you."

Nicolas Brown

"Stress is not what happens to us. It's our response TO what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose."

Maureen Killoran

"The sky isn't always blue, the sun doesn't always shine, and it's okay to fall apart sometimes."

Lily

"Stress is like spice - in the right proportion it enhances the flavour of a dish. Too little produces a bland, dull meal; too much may choke you."

Donald Tubesing

"It’s not stress that kills us; it is our reaction to it."

Hans Selye

"Stress Management is not an Event; it is a Life-Long Process."

Jin Yamamura

"I'm literally losing my mind, I see that I've gone from being a great student, hard-worker, etc to walking on hell's boundaries."

Anonymous

"I'm about to be 37 in a couple months and haven't come close to my self-expected achievements. I feel like I'm failing and that I have no control."

Anonymous

"I am having hard time sleeping at night time, lacking off on my job because its not going well, lose appetite,starting having low temper,get angry easily and tired everyday…"

Kevin

"Here is what I do a lot to relieve my stress "take out a piece of notebook paper get a pen and write down thirty things that you love about you and write down why you love those things about you"."

Brandy

"Im not managing well, I know that my kids are the cause of my strtess, but I can't get away from them, because they are my kids."

Cats

"Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness."

Richard Carlson

"I've been under extreme stress for seven years. For about 9 months it was less but for a month it’s been massive again. Now I've not been sleeping well, not sleeping until 3 or 4 or 5 in the morning."

Dave

"Stress is very bad and dangerous to your health.. It’s always better to not to take too much tensions... To avoid stress try to do yoga and exercise."

Anonymous

"Stress typically describes a negative concept that can have an impact on one’s mental and physical well-being, but it is unclear what exactly defines stress and whether or not stress is a cause, an effect, or the process connecting the two."

Ryan

"I'm always so stressful that I think this is the reason I lost my hair."

Sam

"I suffer from extremely low self confidence and I'm having obsessive thoughts all the time in a way that I'm trying to control things and predict the outcome of situations."

Anonymous

"We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose of the meditation."

Raina

"I've probably been stressed throughout half of my life, and at this point in time I'm going through quite a bit of heartbreak."

Suzanne

"Learn to relax and develop a positive approach. Understand problem solving to keep friendships and relationships intact."

Dr Raj Dhoni

"You have admitted you are stressed. Now, what are you going to do today that might help?"

Liam Makselon

"If you interview alcoholics who have relapsed, they often will describe chronic life stressors as causing their alcohol relapse"

Steve Bressert, PhD

"Stress is when you wake up screaming and realize you haven't fallen asleep yet."

Rita

"The majority of stressors come from relationships."

Anonymous

"The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it."

Anonymous

"The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it."

Anonymous

"Sleep is as essential to our well-being as the air we breathe, or the water we drink."

Naomi

"Life is a juggling act of balancing stress and stressors with the need for life to be meaningful and interesting. Knowing how to cope with stress comes with practice and determination."

Eric

"Avoid blaming others and situations – WE have the ultimate decision on how OUR time will be spent."

Gina

"There is a thin line between the madness and the good sense. Take care because the stress can drive you to the wrong side."

Clara

"Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!"

Anonymous

More Send us your Quotes

Tips & Hints

Take a break
Nobody thinks twice about an athlete taking a break to recover from the amount of energy used up when performing to their physical utmo...
Nobody thinks twice about an athlete taking a break to recover from the amount of energy used up when performing to their physical utmost. If you think about the amount of energy you use to fuel your mental output, it’s not surprising to learn then, that your mental performance will suffer if you also don’t take time to recover. A 15 minute break every 90 minutes is recommended, but if this is impractical, remember to take regular breaks, and your performance will improve as a result.
More
Sing!
You may not think you’re very good at it, but no-one needs to hear! In various studies singing has been proven to reduce blood press...
You may not think you’re very good at it, but no-one needs to hear! In various studies singing has been proven to reduce blood pressure, improve mood, increase general performance, assist better breathing, and generally promote well-being. So next time you’re feeling tense or worried, find somewhere comfortable and try blasting out a happy tune. Remember, it’s not the listening but the taking part that counts!
More
Break your routine
Shake it up. The creation of routine through the necessity of repeating tasks in our day-to-day lives does have the advantage of simpli...
Shake it up. The creation of routine through the necessity of repeating tasks in our day-to-day lives does have the advantage of simplifying our lives and, in time, allowing us to perform tasks on auto-pilot. However, this does lead to the disadvantage of these tasks being mundane and ordinary, which can lead to stress through boredom. Try breaking some of your everyday routines, even just on a temporary basis. For example, you could find an alternative route to work, or sit on a different chair in your living room, or trying something different for breakfast. You may find that even a small change can reduce the risk of mundane induced stress, and bring on an energy boost.
More
Express your feelings
Don’t keep your feelings to yourself. Talk them through with a friend or write them down. Mentally replay your experiences as if watc...
Don’t keep your feelings to yourself. Talk them through with a friend or write them down. Mentally replay your experiences as if watching yourself in a movie and you might be able to find a different, more helpful view on what is happening. Ask yourself: “What can I learn from this? What might be the lesson here? What could I do differently next time?”
More
Carpe Diem!
Live in the here and now instead of the past or the future. Take note of what is happening now instead of being anxious about what mig...
Live in the here and now instead of the past or the future. Take note of what is happening now instead of being anxious about what might happen in the future. Focus on what is happening now instead of on the situation that occurred an hour ago.
More

Keep healthy

Try to keep healthy - eat well, don't smoke and keep fit....

5 Easy Steps

a. Mind your words b. Keep smiling c. Recognise your victories d. Just eat the right foods e. Move...

Get active

Exercise and physical activity can pumps up your feel-good endorphins and refocuses your mind on your body's movements; improving your ...

Meditate

During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing str...

Laugh

Laugh lightens your mental load and causes positive physical changes in your body, producing a good, relaxed feeling. Read some jokes, ...

Connect

Social contact is a good stress reliever because it can distract you, help you weather life's up and downs, and make you feel good by d...

Do yoga

Yoga brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve peacefulness of body and mind, helping you relax and manage stress and ...

Sleep

The quality and amount of sleep you get affects your mood, energy level, concentration and overall functioning. Make sure that you have...

Journal

Writing out thoughts and feelings can be a good release for otherwise pent-up emotions. Write whatever comes to mind, don't strive for ...

Get musical

Listening to or playing music is a good stress reliever because it provides a mental distraction, reduces muscle tension and decreases ...

Enjoy a hobby

Turn your attention to a hobby you enjoy, such as gardening— anything that requires you to focus on what you're doing rather than wha...

Relaxation

Relaxation training is simple. Start with one muscle. Hold it tight for a few seconds then relax the muscle. Do this with each of your ...

One thing at a time

Focus as much as possible on doing one thing at a time. Clear your desk of distractions. Pick something to work on. Need to write a rep...

Simplify your schedule

Schedule only a few important things each day, and put space between them. Get out of meetings when they aren’t absolutely essential....

Get moving

Do something each day to be active — walk, hike, play a sport, go for a run, do yoga. It doesn’t have to be gruelling to reduce str...

Express your feelings instead of bottling them up

If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you don’t voice your feelings, ...

Be willing to compromise

When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll h...

Be more assertive

Don’t take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. If you’ve got a...

Manage your time better

Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focus...

Reframe problems

Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity...

Look at the big picture

Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month?, A year?...

Adjust your standards

Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable stand...

Focus on the positive

When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qu...

Breathe deeply

Slowly in, slowly out. Think of something pleasant....

Allow plenty of time

Being too busy is a big source of stress...

Slow Down

What can you not do today that will allow you some free time to exercise, relax, have fun, and make yourself feel good? Take a time out...

Eat Well

Eat breakfast, don’t skip meals, get your five a day, get enough iron and calcium (particularly girls), cut down on your junk food an...

Discuss Your Problems

Don't feel alone with your problem - chances are good that other people feel the same way, too. Ask for help. If you feel like your str...

Understand

Adults who play a part in the lives of teenagers can help by being understanding. They need to relate to the problems faced by their wa...

Start the day with a relaxing ritual

Rather than jumping out of bed as soon as you wake up, spend at least fifteen minutes meditating, writing in your journal, doing gentle...

Adopt healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping habits

When you eat right, engage in regular physical activity, and get plenty of rest, you have the energy and resilience to deal with life�...

Set boundaries

Don’t overextend yourself. Learn how to say “no” to requests on your time. If you find this difficult, remind yourself that sayin...

Take a daily break from technology

Set a time each day when you completely disconnect. Put away your laptop, turn off your phone, and stop checking email....

Nourish your creative side

Creativity is a powerful antidote to burnout. Try something new, start a fun project, or resume a favorite hobby. Choose activities tha...

Get support

When you're under pressure, the natural tendency is to protect what little energy you have left by isolating yourself. But your friends...

Decelerate

When you’ve reached the end stage of burnout, adjusting your attitude or looking after your health isn’t going to solve the problem...

Revaluate your goals and priorities

Stress is an undeniable sign that something important in your life is not working. Take time to think about your hopes, goals, and drea...

Stop Worrying

Learn self-help strategies that can help you stay calm, stop obsessing over “what-ifs,” and break the habit of chronic worrying....

More Tips & Hints

Effects on your body, feelings and behaviour

Downloads

Web Resources

Quotes

Tips & Hints

Take a break

Sing!

Break your routine

Express your feelings

Carpe Diem!

Keep healthy

5 Easy Steps

Get active

Meditate

Laugh

Connect

Do yoga

Sleep

Journal

Get musical

Enjoy a hobby

Relaxation

One thing at a time

Simplify your schedule

Get moving

Express your feelings instead of bottling them up

Be willing to compromise

Be more assertive

Manage your time better

Reframe problems

Look at the big picture

Adjust your standards

Focus on the positive

Breathe deeply

Allow plenty of time

Slow Down

Eat Well

Discuss Your Problems

Understand

Start the day with a relaxing ritual

Adopt healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping habits

Set boundaries

Take a daily break from technology

Nourish your creative side

Get support

Decelerate

Revaluate your goals and priorities

Stop Worrying

Popular Tags