Explains what stress is, what might cause it and how it can affect you. Includes information about ways you can help yourself and how to get support.
There are various steps you can take to cope with being under pressure. This page gives some tips that people have told us they find useful, but it's important to remember that different things work for different people. Only try what you feel comfortable with.
For example:
Working out what triggers stress for you can help you anticipate problems and think of ways to solve them. Even if you can't avoid these situations, being prepared can help.
Take some time to reflect on events and feelings that could be contributing to your stress (you could do this on your own or with someone you trust). You could consider:
You might be surprised to find out just how much you're coping with at once. Remember that not having enough work, activities or change in your life can be just as stressful a situation as having too much to deal with.
Making some adjustments to the way you organise your time could help you feel more in control of any tasks you're facing, and more able to handle pressure.
Although there will probably lots of things in your life that you can't do anything about, there might still be some practical ways you could to resolve or improve some of the issues that are putting pressure on you. You might find it helpful to read our information on:
It's not easy, but accepting that there are some things happening to you that you probably can't do anything about will help you focus your time and energy more productively.
"Sometimes I take a minute to 'reply' to my stressy thoughts... it's hard to be stressed when you've got things in perspective! Most of the things I worry about are either things I can't change or things which aren't earth-shatteringly important."
This information was published in November 2017.
This page is currently under review. All content was accurate when published.
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