FACTSHEETS

What is stress?

By  ReachOut     |    Updated: 17th May, 2017    |    3 min read

Stressed out all the time? There are a number of reasons you might be struggling to beat stress. Find out what it looks like when stress is causing a problem for your health. If it’s really serious and you can’t shake the stress, there might be something more serious going on.

  This can help if:
  • You’re feeling overwhelmed
  • You’re unable to stop thinking about something
  • You’re feeling numb or detached
  • You’re having trouble sleeping
  • You’re always anxious, moody or frustrated

What does it mean if you’re always stressed?

Stress is our body’s way of rising to a challenge, and preparing to meet a tough situation with focus, stamina, and heightened alertness. But if you’re always stressed out, it could be a sign that your body isn’t dealing with the day-to-day stuff anymore. You might have gotten into a habit of negative thinking that you need to break.

To help manage the stress, it may be good to get the problem out in the air. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t face it. Talking to the person involved, a mate, or someone else you trust, may help you work out why you are stressed out and what you can do about it.

When it causes a problem

Stress could be causing a problem for your health and your ability to cope if you’re:

  • Sleeping badly
  • Feeling irritable about yourself or those around you
  • Having troubles concentrating
  • Having issues connecting with others
  • Feeling depressed, panicky or anxious

If you’re having any of these signs, it is a good indicator you need to work some stress relief tactics into your life and start managing your stress.

It could be something else

If you feel overwhelmed and like you can’t go on, maybe you have trouble with coping skills. If you’ve tried a few stress tactics and they don’t work, you might also have a more serious stress or anxiety disorder. Some people worry all the time, and may need to do stuff to change the way they deal with things. Or they are more than normally afraid of something. That’s fine– it’s totally manageable, but you might need advice from an expert to figure out what’s going on and what to do. They can give you the right strategies for reducing the type of stress you have, and a psychologist can work with you to train your brain to get out of habits that you don’t like. Get information on anxiety in one of our handy fact sheets.

It can be hard to know where to find the right support you need. ReachOut NextStep is an anonymous online tool that recommends relevant support options based on what you want help with. Try the ReachOut NextStep tool to learn about the support options available for you.

What can I do now?


Also check the related topics:  

Stress Study & Exam Tips

Factsheet provided by ReachOut

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