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What is stress?

Conditions

Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to everyone. In fact, the human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. When you experience changes or challenges (stressors), your body produces physical and mental responses. That’s stress.

Stress responses help your body adjust to new situations. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger. For example, if you have an important test coming up, a stress response might help your body work harder and stay awake longer. But stress becomes a problem when stressors continue without relief or periods of relaxation.

Stress can cause the following:

  • Feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, or frustration
  • Changes in appetite, energy, desires, and interests
  • Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
  • Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
  • Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes
  • Worsening of chronic health problems
  • Worsening of mental health conditions
  • Increased use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances

Learning to cope with stress in a healthy way will make you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient.

Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress:

  • Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including those on social media. It’s good to be informed but consider limiting news to just a couple times a day and disconnecting from phone, tv, and computer screens for a while.
  • Take care of your body
    • Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate
    • Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals
    • Exercise regularly
    • Get plenty of sleep
    • Avoid excessive alcohol, tobacco, and substance use
    • Continue with routine preventive measures (such as vaccinations, cancer screenings, etc.) as recommended by your healthcare provider
  • Make time to unwind — Try to do some other activities you enjoy
  • Connect with others — Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling
  • Connect with your community or faith-based organizations — While social distancing measures are in place, try connecting online, through social media, or by phone or mail

If you are struggling to cope, there are many ways to get help. Call your healthcare provider if stress gets in the way of your daily activities for several days in a row.

If you are in crisis, get immediate help:

  • Call 911
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-628-9454 for Spanish.
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline:  1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522
  • National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4AChild (1-800-422-4453) or text 1-800-422-4453
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
  • Veteran’s Crisis Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or Crisis Chat  or text: 8388255
  • Disaster Distress Helpline: CALL or TEXT 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish).
  • The Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116

Locations

https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/cope-with-stress/index.html

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress