- When you are stressed, your heart pounds, your breathing quickens, your muscles tense and you start to sweat. Once the threat or difficulty passes, these physical changes settle down.
- If you're constantly stressed, your body stays in a state of high alert and you may develop stress-related symptoms, which can affect your body, mood and behaviour. You may also not think clearly.
- Signs of too much stress can include headaches, stomach aches, poor sleep, being tired and irritable, or using stimulants such as coffee or sugar to keep you going.
- Health conditions that can develop as a result of too much stress include high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression.
- Because stress is a part of life, learning how to manage it is key to maintaining good physical and mental health.
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Stress | Mate māharahara
Key points about stress
- Stress (mate māharahara) is your body’s natural reaction to a threat or an excess demand.
- Some stress is good for you and helps motivate you to get something done. But when you are under too much stress for too long, it affects your health and wellbeing.
- Learning how to manage stress is a key life skill.
Stress is our body’s natural reaction to a demand or threat. It triggers your body’s fight, freeze or flight response, which causes a surge of hormones that would have helped our ancestors to run away from the stressor or fight it. It is supposed to be a short, sharp response to danger. But if you feel stressed a lot of the time, you put a lot of pressure on your health.
Stress can come from many sources such as health issues, relationship problems, work, financial issues, deadlines, exams or unrealistic expectations you put on yourself. What causes stress for you may not be stressful for someone else.
Some stress is helpful as it can motivate you to meet a deadline or get things done. But long-term stress can increase the risk of health conditions, such as:
- high blood pressure
- obesity and diabetes
- depression or anxiety
- heart disease
- muscle tension, headaches
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- suicide in extreme situations.
A stress-related condition called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after experiencing trauma, such as from war, physical or sexual assault, or a natural disaster.
(NHS Choices, UK, 2014)
Common symptoms caused by long-term stress include:
- headaches, muscle tension, neck or back pain
- dry mouth
- feeling anxious or jittery
- being more irritable or angry than normal
- overeating or loss of appetite and not eating well
- upset stomach
- chest pains, rapid heartbeat
- not sleeping
- feeling tired, flat, down or worn out
- finding it hard to concentrate or focus
- needing coffee, energy drinks or sugar to keep going
- increased skin infections, mouth ulcers, colds, rashes or asthma.
It helps to learn how to recognise stress and find ways to cope with it before your body's stress response fully kicks in.
Here are some ideas to help you get started:
- Include things you find relaxing in your everyday life, such as listening to music, mindfulness meditation, connecting with friends and regular exercise.
- Learn useful anti-stress life skills such as effective problem solving, healthy communication and healthy thinking.
- Maintain a healthy work-life balance, take frequent breaks and find other ways to manage stress at work.
- Take care of yourself by being physically active every day, eating a healthy diet, having good sleep habits
- Make time to do fun things and spend time with the people who are important to you.
Because stress is a part of life, learning how to manage it is an important part of having good physical and mental health.
This involves learning to recognise what sparks stress in your daily life and having a grab-bag of anti-stressing tools that you use often and before your body's stress response fully kicks in. The key is to wind down before you get wound up. The more anti-stress tools you can learn the better – get started today!
(Mind, UK, 2021)
Top tips for managing stress
|
Do |
|
|
Exercise |
Be active every day. Try walking, swimming, cycling, dancing or play a team sport – just find something you enjoy and keep doing it. |
|
Sleep |
Lack of good sleep can increase your stress levels. Learn about good sleep habits. |
|
Eat well |
A healthy diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables and low in fatty, sugary and processed foods gives your body the nutrients it needs to help you manage your stress levels. There are also foods you can eat to boost your mood. |
|
Find a relaxing hobby |
Take part in activities that calm you – such as gardening, painting, sewing, knitting, carving. Try different things to find what works best for you – then do it regularly! |
|
Breathe deeply |
You can relax and take in more oxygen if you breathe using your diaphragm. To practice diaphragmatic breathing:
If you would like to find out more about healthy breathing, there are breathing therapists listed online or ask your GP. |
|
Visualise yourself in a calm, relaxed place |
Close your eyes and picture yourself in a calm, relaxing scene. such as lying on the beach. Keep imagining this for a few minutes or even just for a few seconds to help your body and mind unwind. |
|
Practice mindfulness meditation |
Mindfulness meditation is a technique to bring your focus into the moment and thereby escape some of the constant chatter of your brain. There are apps and online courses, and classes in some centres. |
|
Do yoga, tai chi or other mindful-based movement |
Yoga and other physical practices that encourage calm, mindful connection between body and mind have been found to reduce stress. |
|
Try massage and other complementary therapies |
Massage, hypnotherapy and aromatherapy have all been shown to have some effect in reducing tress. |
|
Listen to calming music |
Listening to music you enjoy, particularly music that soothes you, can also calm your nervous system and help reduce your stress levels. |
|
Shrug it off |
Raise your shoulders, inhale, and then drop them and exhale. Do three times. |
|
Take a break |
Give yourself a breather every now and then. take a short break during the day at work or at home to do something you really enjoy. Make sure you plan for a longer break or two over the year to relax more fully. |
|
Connect with family/whānau and friends |
Connecting with family/whānau and friends is a great way to get support when you need it. They can help you take a break from what you are stressing over and to work out whether it really is a problem. |
|
Talk to someone |
If you are finding the other stress tips aren’t enough for you to manage your stress, talk to someone you trust before it affects your health. Talking with a clergy member, kaumatua, counsellor or your GP can really help. You can find a counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist(external link) yourself or ask your doctor for a recommendation. |
|
Learn skills that keep stress at bay |
This includes self-assertion skills, such as being able to say ‘no’ when you need to. It also helps to learn to express anger in a constructive way and practice positive self-talk. Cognitive behavioural therapy is useful for developing these skills. |
|
Get organised for and at work |
Read about how to manage stress at work. |
|
Get a pet |
People with pets tend to feel calmer and less stressed. |
|
Write it down |
Keep a notepad by the bed and write down what is on your mind before you go to sleep. Writing how you feel about situations that bother you can also help to reduce stress. |
(Dr Mike Evans, Canada, 2015)
| Don't | |
|---|---|
| Use cigarettes, caffeine, alcohol or snack foods | These only make things worse in the long term, even if they appear to offer some kind of temporary relief. |
| Over-extend yourself | Instead, take one step at a time. |
| Blame yourself if you don't reach all your goals | Remember, these may be possible next time. |
If you are finding it difficult to manage your stress, tell your doctor or find a counsellor or therapist(external link) to talk to.
- Te Hikuwai resources for wellbeing – stress/tāmitanga(external link) Te Pou, NZ, 2022 [PDF, 913 KB]
- Manage your stress(external link) Small Steps, NZ(external link)
- Stress(external link) Fresh Mind, NZ(external link)
- How to deal with stress(external link) NHS, UK(external link)
- Find out how to tell if someone is struggling with their mental health(external link) BBC, UK, 2021(external link)
- Problem solving worksheet(external link) BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information(external link)
- Online life skills resource(external link) Living Life to the Full(external link)
- How dogs can help with mental health – mind boosting benefits of dog ownership(external link) UK(external link)
- Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) resources(external link) Get Self Help, UK (external link)
- Ignite(external link) Online NZ support to strengthen wellbeing
CALM – Computer Assisted Learning for the Mind(external link) A University of Auckland website with a range of tools to help you manage stress and develop greater happiness through:
- developing mental resilience
- managing stress, anxiety and depression
- having healthy relationships
- finding meaning in life.
Small Steps(external link) Whether you’re looking to maintain wellbeing, find re
Apps/Tools
General anxiety scale (GAD-7)
Positive relationships quiz(external link)
Self-test depression (PHQ9)(external link)
Brochures
- Stress(external link) MedLine Plus, US
- Stress management(external link) Mayo Clinic, US, 2019
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Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.
Reviewed by: Tina Earl, Clinical Psychologist
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