Basics of Stress

Stress can be defined as a strain on our ability to deal with challenges that come up in our daily lives. Stress can make you feel tense and under pressure. We all experience stress from time to time, but continuing to feel stressed can be hard on your emotions, mind, and body.

It is important to understand what can trigger stress so you can learn how to manage it. If you’re feeling stressed, take a moment to figure out what’s going on in your life that’s causing the stress.

Stress can be caused by things like:

• Major changes in our lives like moving, changing schools, graduating or starting college/university
• Pressure to meet deadlines at school or work
• Arguing or fighting with friends, family or co-workers
• Problems in a relationship — a break up or a fight
• Daily hassles like getting stuck in traffic, missing the bus or being late
• Health problems — personal or family
• Your own thoughts, such as worrying too much
• High expectations — either yours or someone else’s
• Trying to balance school, work, family and social life
• Being unemployed and trying to find a job
• Problems with money

Learn how to manage stress to help keep it from affecting your mental and physical well-being. Here are a few things you can do:

• Explore the What to Look For page to learn about the early signs and help you decide on steps you can take.
• Check out Tips for Coping with Stress and Apps & Tools for things you can do to help manage stress.
• Talk to someone you trust and let them know how you’re feeling. Check out Tips for Talking to Someone for help getting started.
• If you think you need support from someone else, check out External Support Options for a variety of options.