Stress: Signs, Symptoms, Coping, & How to Prevent It

What Is Stress?

Stress is the body’s natural defense against external threats such as predators and danger. It is a common human experience that evolved to protect us from danger or to motivate us to change or work through problems.¹ Stress is a physical and psychological response to perceived challenges or threats.

Our body is programmed to respond to stress, which triggers the fight or flight response. This leads to physical and psychological changes designed to enhance the body’s ability to respond to threats. In the short term, stress is natural and can be a motivator to navigate challenges.

Types of Stress

Stress is a natural biological response.² There are three types of stress, ranging from acute to prolonged. The different types of stress are acute, episodic, and chronic.

Acute Stress

The most common form of stress is acute stress, caused by demands and pressures of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future. Our body was programmed to handle acute stressors, so while they are annoying, feeling stress during these times is perfectly natural.

An example of this stress is having a test at school, a presentation at work, or getting a flat tire. Research shows that this form of stress can be a motivator to improve cognitive and memory function to improve difficult situations until it passes.²

Episodic Acute Stress

Episodic acute stress is when you experience acute stress frequently, such as at a stressful job, or while experiencing a toxic or dysfunctional relationship. Episodic stress can impact your physical and mental health more than occasional acute stress experiences.

Chronic Stress

The most dangerous form of stress is chronic stress, which occurs when individuals cannot see a way out of a miserable situation. Examples of chronic stress are growing up in a chaotic or dysfunctional family, experiencing war, or poverty.

The long-term effects of chronic stress include mental health and physical health symptoms.

Causes of Stress

Some primary causes of stress include major life changes, work, relationship difficulties, financial problems, and health issues. Individuals’ perceptions of stressors vary greatly, which affects their response to different situations.

Possible causes of stress include:

• Financial problems
• Relationship stressors
• Legal trouble
• Life changes such as a move
• Physical or mental health concerns
• Family stressors
• Work or school pressures
• Death of a pet
• Welcoming a new baby into the home

Physical Effects of Stress

Prolonged stress can lead to serious health complications, including cardiovascular disease, headaches, and high blood pressure.

Possible physical effects of stress include:^{3, 4}

• Skin changes such as rash or psoriasis flare-ups
• Headaches
• Digestion problems
• Muscle tension
• Sexual difficulties
• Appetite changes
• Heart palpitations
• High blood pressure

Psychological Effects of Stress

Prolonged stress can lead to mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and memory loss. Some of the psychological symptoms include irritability or short-term memory loss.

Possible psychological effects of stress include:²

• Irritability and anger
• Sleep loss or insomnia
• Anxiety
• Depression or other mood disorders
• Negative effects on learning
• Short-term memory loss (with prolonged stress)

Coping With Stress

Some stress management strategies include lifestyle changes, relaxation techniques, exercise, and seeking professional help. Identifying stress triggers and adopting healthy coping mechanisms to mitigate stress’s impact on health and well-being is important.

Ways to cope with stress include:

• Breathwork: Breathwork may help with stress because it helps your body get out of the fight-or-flight response and into a calmer, resting state.⁵
• Grounding: By grounding yourself and bringing your mind and focus to the here and now, you can create a sense of calm and reduce some of the effects of stress and worry.
• Slowing down: Stress often makes us feel like we have to accomplish a million things at once, but slowing down and focusing on one thing at a time can help reduce stress.
• Validating it: Sometimes, just validating that you are stressed can feel empowering. Saying something like “wow, this is difficult” or “I am very stressed right now” can feel validating and help you develop self-awareness around your feelings and experiences.
• Self-care: Increasing self-care activities will help you manage stress as well as help you cope with the effects of stress on your mind and body.
• Listen to music:  Music can improve mental health symptoms and reduce the effects of stress.⁷

Preventing Stress

Preventing stress from consuming your life is essential to ensuring that it does not affect your physical and mental health. Introducing daily strategies such as exercise, self-care, and time management may help prevent stress.

Some ways to prevent stress include:

• Exercise: There are many mental health benefits of exercise. Exercise may help reduce or even prevent stress because of the hormonal changes in the brain due to physical movement that produce positive feelings and mood.⁶
• Talking about it: Talking about your feelings can help you cope with them. If you are stressed, talking about it with a friend or partner can help you reduce some of the associated feelings.
• Understanding your triggers: Developing self-awareness around your stress triggers can help you prepare for them and prevent them from affecting you as much. For example, if you know the holidays make you stressed, you can plan accordingly.
• Validating your trauma history: Acknowledging and validating your history can help you work through any unresolved traumas that may be affecting your stress levels.
• Take time off from work: Use those vacation days and take time off from work! Whether you leave town or just do a stay-cation, time away from work or school can help prevent you from getting stressed or burned out.
• Time management: Time management at work or school can help prevent the workload from piling up, and help prevent unnecessary stress.
• Taking care of your health: Neglecting your physical and mental health will only make the stress worse. Taking care of your needs will help prevent stress.

Types of Stress Therapy

There are various forms of stress therapy, each designed to help you find the best approach to manage your stress. Despite differences in techniques, the primary aim of all stress therapy options is to promote relaxation and improve your problem-solving skills to help you handle challenges more effectively.

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): MBSR focuses on reducing stress by increasing awareness of the present moment and observing emotions without judgment. This approach helps calm the nervous system, allowing individuals to handle challenging situations with greater clarity and balance.
• Solution-Focused Therapy: Solution-focused therapy directs clients to identify and implement strategies that improve their stressors and problems. This approach emphasizes actionable techniques rather than delving into the causes or responses to stress.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns that influence behaviors and emotions. Clients may be asked to self-monitor their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors using logs or worksheets to become aware of stress triggers. By learning to replace unhelpful thoughts with positive alternatives, individuals can reduce stress, increase competence, and boost self-esteem.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT encourages emotional acceptance and mindfulness skills, helping clients allow negative emotions to pass without trying to control or avoid them. This approach reduces the intensity and impact of stress by promoting acceptance and letting go of the struggle.
• Psychodynamic Therapy: Psychodynamic therapy aims to uncover deep-seated insights into past experiences that impact current well-being. By exploring significant events or traumas from childhood, clients can identify areas that need change to improve their ability to cope with stress.

When to Seek Professional Help

While feeling occasionally stressed is normal, some people find that they are experiencing stress all the time and that it is affecting their life negatively. If you can relate to this, use an online therapist directory or online therapy platform to find a therapist who can help. For those who need medication management, online psychiatrist options are a good choice for finding stress medication management. Your therapist or primary care provider may refer you to a psychiatrist if necessary.