Stress Management, Banbury

NHS Direct define stress as being the way that you feel when you're under too much pressure.

A moderate amount of pressure can be positive, making us more alert, helping to keep us motivated, and making us perform better. However, too much pressure, or prolonged pressure, can lead to stress. Stress can cause illness and physical and emotional problems.

The Health & Safety Executive announce that :

Work-related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health.

Each case of work-related stress, depression or anxiety related ill health leads to an average of 30.2 working days lost.

A total of 13.8 million working days were lost to work-related stress, depression and anxiety in 2006/07.

NHS Direct confirm that research has shown that around 12 million adults see their GP with mental health problems each year. Most of these have anxiety and depression, much of it stress-related.

Some typical symptoms of stress may be:

breathing difficulties,
chest pains,
constant tiredness,
constipation or diarrhoea,
cramps or muscle spasms,
craving for food,
dizziness,
fainting spells,
headaches,
indigestion,
lack of appetite,
nausea,
nail biting,
feeling sick,
frequent crying,
nervous twitches or muscle spasms,
palpitations,
pins and needles,
restlessness,
sleeping problems, and
a tendency to sweat.

Longer term you may be putting yourself at risk from high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes or impotence.

Emotional changes

When you are stressed you may experience many different feelings, including anxiety, fear, anger, frustration and depression. These feelings can themselves produce physical symptoms, making you feel even worse. Extreme anxiety can cause giddiness, heart palpitations, headaches or stomach disorders. Many of these symptoms may make you feel so unwell that you then worry that you have some serious physical conditions such as heart disease or cancer, making you even more stressed.

Behavioural changes

When you are stressed you may behave differently. For example, you may become withdrawn, indecisive or inflexible. You may not be able to sleep properly. You may be irritable or tearful all the time. There may be a change in your sexual habits, and even if you were previously mild-mannered you may suddenly become verbally or physically aggressive.

These symptoms are taken from the NHS Direct Guidelines.