Stress
Stress is a modern, widely-used ‘buzzword’ that describes the feelings of "distress" experienced when tension (or boredom) becomes unbearably high. In fact, a moderate level of stress is important and beneficial — it's a key element that enables you to deal with the physical and emotional challenges of life. A response to stress may be anxiety, which can take on many different forms.
What are the main symptoms?
When stress increases, symptoms show up in all critical areas. The most noticeable are physical symptoms, because they often cause severe discomfort. These include:
- headaches
- back ache
- a dry mouth
- indigestion
- disturbed sleep
- panic attacks
- sexual dysfunction
Stress affects the mind as well as the body. Common mental symptoms include:
- poor concentration
- short-term memory loss
- feeling cut off from the world
- feelings of frustration
- irritability
- anger
- anxiety
- depression
Prolonged stress can cause a range of negative feelings and behaviours, and the resulting symptoms may seriously affect you mentally and physically. As problems increase, it becomes more difficult to cope.
Stress can affect your whole body. For example, there is good evidence that stress lowers immunity and increases susceptibility to a wide range of illnesses, from the common cold to cancer. Similarly, stress may aggravate other pre-existing health conditions.
