Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSignsCausesThe Inner-Workings of the Stress ResponseImpactTreatmentsWays to Cope With StressFinal ThoughtsNext in How Stress Impacts Your Health GuideHow to Recognize Burnout Symptoms
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Signs
Causes
The Inner-Workings of the Stress Response
Impact
Treatments
Ways to Cope With Stress
Final Thoughts
Next in How Stress Impacts Your Health Guide
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Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or mental strain. Stress is your body’s response to anything that requires attention or action.
Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way you respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to your overall mental and physical well-being.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Sometimes, the best way to manage your stress involves changing your situation. At other times, the best strategy involves changing the way you respond to the situation.
Developing a clear understanding of how stress impacts your physical and mental health is important. It’s also important to recognize how your mental and physical health affects your stress level.
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2:04
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Clues that Indicate You Might Be Stressed
Stress is not always easy to recognize, but there are some ways to identify some signs that you might be experiencing too much pressure. Sometimes stress can come from an obvious source, but sometimes even small daily stresses from work, school, family, and friends can take a toll on your mind and body.
If you think stress might be affecting you, there are a few things you can watch for:
What Does Stress Feel Like?Stress can manifest in a variety of ways in your mind and body, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It can contribute to feelings of frustration, worry, and burnout. You may feel physically exhausted, worn out, and unable to cope.
What Does Stress Feel Like?
Stress can manifest in a variety of ways in your mind and body, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It can contribute to feelings of frustration, worry, and burnout. You may feel physically exhausted, worn out, and unable to cope.
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Stress vs. Anxiety: What’s the Difference?
Stress can sometimes be mistaken for anxiety, and experiencing a great deal of stress can contribute to feelings of anxiety. Stress and anxiety both contribute to nervousness, poor sleep,high blood pressure, muscle tension, and excess worry. Experiencing anxiety can make it more difficult to cope with stress and may contribute to other health issues, including increased depression, susceptibility to illness, and digestive problems.
The Usual Suspects: Main Causes of Stress
There are many different things in life that can cause stress. Some of themain sources of stressinclude work, finances, relationships, parenting, and day-to-day inconveniences.
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The Four Types of Stress
Not all types of stress are harmful or even negative. Some of the different types of stress that you might experience include:
Harmful Types of Stress:The main harmful types of stress are acute stress, chronic stress, and episodic acute stress. Acute stress is usually brief, chronic stress is prolonged, and episodic acute stress is short-term but frequent. Positive stress, known as eustress, can be fun and exciting, but it can also take a toll if you don’t keep your life in balance.
Harmful Types of Stress:
The main harmful types of stress are acute stress, chronic stress, and episodic acute stress. Acute stress is usually brief, chronic stress is prolonged, and episodic acute stress is short-term but frequent. Positive stress, known as eustress, can be fun and exciting, but it can also take a toll if you don’t keep your life in balance.
Why Some Stress Can Lead to Better Performance
Stress can trigger the body’s response to a perceived threat or danger, known as thefight-or-flight response.During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released. This speeds the heart rate, slows digestion, shunts blood flow to major muscle groups, and changes various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength.
Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, the fight-or-flight response is now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate—like in traffic or during a stressful day at work.
When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via therelaxation response.But in cases of chronic stress, the relaxation response doesn’t occur often enough, and being in a near-constant state of fight-or-flight can cause damage to the body.
Brace For Impact: How Stress Affects Your Health
Stress can have several effects on your health and well-being. It can make it more challenging to deal with life’s daily hassles, affect your interpersonal relationships, and have detrimental effects on your health. The connection between your mind and body is apparent when you examine stress’s impact on your life.
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Feeling stressed over a relationship, money, or living situation can create physical health issues. The inverse is also true. Health problems, whether you’re dealing with high blood pressure ordiabetes, will also affect your stress level and mental health. When your brain experienceshigh degrees of stress, your body reacts accordingly.
Serious acute stress, like being involved in a natural disaster or getting into a verbal altercation, can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias, and even sudden death. However, this happens mostly in individuals who already have heart disease.
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Stress also takes an emotional toll. While some stress may produce feelings of mild anxiety or frustration, prolonged stress can also lead toburnout,anxiety disorders, and depression.
Chronic stress can have a serious impact on your health as well. If you experience chronic stress, yourautonomic nervous systemwill be overactive, which is likely to damage your body.
Stress-Influenced ConditionsCancerChronic PainDiabetesFatigueInflammatory diseasesHair lossHeart diseaseHyperthyroidismObesitySexual dysfunctionSkin problemsSleep disordersTooth and gum diseaseUlcers
Stress-Influenced Conditions
CancerChronic PainDiabetesFatigueInflammatory diseasesHair lossHeart diseaseHyperthyroidismObesitySexual dysfunctionSkin problemsSleep disordersTooth and gum diseaseUlcers
Can Stress Cause Cancer?
What Can I Do When I Have Too Much Stress?
There are some treatment options for acute and chronic stress, as well as a variety of stress management strategies you can implement on your own. Stress may be inevitable; however, whenever possible, prevention is the best strategy.
Anounceof prevention is worth apoundof cure
Treatment Options
Some interventions that may be helpful include therapy, medication, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).
Psychotherapy
Some forms of therapy that may be particularly helpful in addressing symptoms of stress includingcognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)andmindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). CBT focuses on helping people identify and change negative thinking patterns, while MBSR utilizes meditation and mindfulness to help reduce stress levels.
Medication
Medication may sometimes be prescribed to address some specific symptoms that are related to stress. Such medications may include sleep aids, antacids, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Some complementary approaches that may also be helpful for reducing stress include acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage, yoga, andmeditation.
Although stress is inevitable, it can be manageable. When you understand the toll it takes on you and the steps to combat stress, you can take charge of your health and reduce the impact stress has on your life.
Press Play for Advice On Managing Stress
Here are a few things to get you started:
If you or a loved one are struggling with stress, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you or a loved one are struggling with stress, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Stress is a part of life and comes in all shapes and sizes. There are things we can do to minimize or even prevent much of the stress in our lives. But some stress is unavoidable.
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8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.I’m so stressed out! Fact sheet.Goldstein DS.Adrenal responses to stress.Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2010;30(8):1433–1440. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9Stahl JE, Dossett ML, LaJoie AS, et al.Relaxation response and resiliency training and its effect on healthcare resource utilization.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(10). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140212Chi JS, Kloner RA.Stress and myocardial infarction.Heart. 2003;89(5):475–476. doi:10.1136/heart.89.5.475Salvagioni DAJ, Melanda FN, Mesas AE, González AD, Gabani FL, Andrade SM.Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies.PLoS ONE. 2017;12(10). doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0185781Bitonte RA, DeSanto DJ II.Mandatory physical exercise for the prevention of mental illness in medical students.Ment Illn. 2014;6(2):5549. doi:10.4081/mi.2014.5549Ayala EE, Winseman JS, Johnsen RD, Mason HRC.U.S. medical students who engage in self-care report less stress and higher quality of life.BMC Med Educ. 2018;18(1):189. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1296-xRichards KC, Campenni CE, Muse-Burke JL.Self-care and well-being in mental health professionals: The mediating effects of self-awareness and mindfulness.J Ment Health Couns. 2010;32(3):247. doi:10.17744/mehc.32.3.0n31v88304423806.Additional ReadingAmerican Psychological Association.Stress in America 2023.Krantz DS, Whittaker KS, Sheps DS.Psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease: Pathophysiologic mechanisms.InHeart and Mind: The Practice of Cardiac Psychology (2nd Ed.).American Psychological Association; 2011:91-113. doi:10.1037/13086-004
8 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.I’m so stressed out! Fact sheet.Goldstein DS.Adrenal responses to stress.Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2010;30(8):1433–1440. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9Stahl JE, Dossett ML, LaJoie AS, et al.Relaxation response and resiliency training and its effect on healthcare resource utilization.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(10). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140212Chi JS, Kloner RA.Stress and myocardial infarction.Heart. 2003;89(5):475–476. doi:10.1136/heart.89.5.475Salvagioni DAJ, Melanda FN, Mesas AE, González AD, Gabani FL, Andrade SM.Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies.PLoS ONE. 2017;12(10). doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0185781Bitonte RA, DeSanto DJ II.Mandatory physical exercise for the prevention of mental illness in medical students.Ment Illn. 2014;6(2):5549. doi:10.4081/mi.2014.5549Ayala EE, Winseman JS, Johnsen RD, Mason HRC.U.S. medical students who engage in self-care report less stress and higher quality of life.BMC Med Educ. 2018;18(1):189. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1296-xRichards KC, Campenni CE, Muse-Burke JL.Self-care and well-being in mental health professionals: The mediating effects of self-awareness and mindfulness.J Ment Health Couns. 2010;32(3):247. doi:10.17744/mehc.32.3.0n31v88304423806.Additional ReadingAmerican Psychological Association.Stress in America 2023.Krantz DS, Whittaker KS, Sheps DS.Psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease: Pathophysiologic mechanisms.InHeart and Mind: The Practice of Cardiac Psychology (2nd Ed.).American Psychological Association; 2011:91-113. doi:10.1037/13086-004
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Mental Health.I’m so stressed out! Fact sheet.Goldstein DS.Adrenal responses to stress.Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2010;30(8):1433–1440. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9Stahl JE, Dossett ML, LaJoie AS, et al.Relaxation response and resiliency training and its effect on healthcare resource utilization.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(10). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140212Chi JS, Kloner RA.Stress and myocardial infarction.Heart. 2003;89(5):475–476. doi:10.1136/heart.89.5.475Salvagioni DAJ, Melanda FN, Mesas AE, González AD, Gabani FL, Andrade SM.Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies.PLoS ONE. 2017;12(10). doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0185781Bitonte RA, DeSanto DJ II.Mandatory physical exercise for the prevention of mental illness in medical students.Ment Illn. 2014;6(2):5549. doi:10.4081/mi.2014.5549Ayala EE, Winseman JS, Johnsen RD, Mason HRC.U.S. medical students who engage in self-care report less stress and higher quality of life.BMC Med Educ. 2018;18(1):189. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1296-xRichards KC, Campenni CE, Muse-Burke JL.Self-care and well-being in mental health professionals: The mediating effects of self-awareness and mindfulness.J Ment Health Couns. 2010;32(3):247. doi:10.17744/mehc.32.3.0n31v88304423806.
National Institute of Mental Health.I’m so stressed out! Fact sheet.
Goldstein DS.Adrenal responses to stress.Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2010;30(8):1433–1440. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9
Stahl JE, Dossett ML, LaJoie AS, et al.Relaxation response and resiliency training and its effect on healthcare resource utilization.PLoS ONE. 2015;10(10). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140212
Chi JS, Kloner RA.Stress and myocardial infarction.Heart. 2003;89(5):475–476. doi:10.1136/heart.89.5.475
Salvagioni DAJ, Melanda FN, Mesas AE, González AD, Gabani FL, Andrade SM.Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies.PLoS ONE. 2017;12(10). doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0185781
Bitonte RA, DeSanto DJ II.Mandatory physical exercise for the prevention of mental illness in medical students.Ment Illn. 2014;6(2):5549. doi:10.4081/mi.2014.5549
Ayala EE, Winseman JS, Johnsen RD, Mason HRC.U.S. medical students who engage in self-care report less stress and higher quality of life.BMC Med Educ. 2018;18(1):189. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1296-x
Richards KC, Campenni CE, Muse-Burke JL.Self-care and well-being in mental health professionals: The mediating effects of self-awareness and mindfulness.J Ment Health Couns. 2010;32(3):247. doi:10.17744/mehc.32.3.0n31v88304423806.
American Psychological Association.Stress in America 2023.Krantz DS, Whittaker KS, Sheps DS.Psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease: Pathophysiologic mechanisms.InHeart and Mind: The Practice of Cardiac Psychology (2nd Ed.).American Psychological Association; 2011:91-113. doi:10.1037/13086-004
American Psychological Association.Stress in America 2023.
Krantz DS, Whittaker KS, Sheps DS.Psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease: Pathophysiologic mechanisms.InHeart and Mind: The Practice of Cardiac Psychology (2nd Ed.).American Psychological Association; 2011:91-113. doi:10.1037/13086-004
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