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Stress and overwhelm
If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E. If you need urgent mental-health help but it is not an emergency, use NHS 111 online or call 111 and select the mental-health option.
Stress isn't a personal failure. Sometimes there are simply more demands than you've currently got capacity for.
Stress can show up everywhere
NHS guidance notes that stress can affect how you feel physically and mentally and how you behave. Examples include difficulty concentrating, feeling overwhelmed, constant worry, irritability, sleeping differently, eating differently, avoiding people or places, and drinking or smoking more.
Do a pressure audit
Write down what's currently taking up headspace. Mark each item: act, ask for help, accept for now, or not mine to carry. It sounds simple; the point is to get ten simultaneous problems out of your head and onto something you can see.
When stress is running your life
If you're struggling to cope, symptoms are persistent, or stress is significantly affecting daily life, speak to your GP or use appropriate NHS support. Chest pain or other concerning physical symptoms should not simply be assumed to be stress.
Keep going
Sources & further reading
- NHS — feelings and symptoms
- NHS Every Mind Matters — mental health issues
- NICE NG222 — depression in adults: treatment and management
Clinical information should be reviewed periodically against current NHS/NICE guidance. This content is educational and is not a diagnosis.