Stress - Symptoms of stress

Symptoms of stress often build up gradually before you start noticing them.

Stress can affect how you feel, how you think, how you behave and how your body works.

It affects people in different ways but if you are stressed you may have some of the following symptoms:

Your feelings

You may feel:

• irritable
• anxious
• low in self-esteem
• have a low mood

Your thoughts

You may find that you:

• have racing thoughts
• worry constantly
• imaginine the worst
• go over and over things

Your behaviour

You may notice you're:

• having temper outbursts
• drinking more
• smoking more
• on the go all the time
• talking more or faster
• changing your eating habits
• feeling unsociable
• being forgetful or clumsy
• being unreasonable
• struggling to concentrate

Your body

You may be suffering from:

• headaches
• muscle tension and pain
• stomach problems
• sweating
• feeling dizzy
• bowel or bladder problems
• breathlessness
• dry mouth
• sexual problems

It is important to learn how stress affects you as this will help you figure out what coping techniques work best for you. It will also help you avoid resorting to unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking and comfort-eating.

Find out more about techniques to help you manage stress.

If you're experiencing any of the above symptoms and self-help techniques aren't working for you, make an appointment to see your GP. Your doctor may suggest other coping techniques or recommend some form of counselling.

Now read about how stress is treated.