What is Stress?
Everybody experiences stress in day-to-day life. Traffic, work deadlines, illness, relationship troubles—life is full of stressors. Even happy occasions—a wedding, a promotion at work, a new baby—can fill you with tension. Some people handle life’s ups and downs with ease while others get stuck feeling overly stressed about every little thing. When the pressure of daily life begins to feel overwhelming, and you experience unrelenting, chronic stress, it’s time to seek help.

Who is Affected by Stress?
Americans’ stress levels are going up. A 2019 Gallup Poll found that people living in the U.S. reported the highest levels of stress, worry, and anger in the past 10 years. When asked how they felt the previous day, about 55% of adults said they felt stress during “a lot of the day,” 45% felt a lot of worry, and 22% felt anger. Problems with stress hit all age groups. Children, teens, adults, and seniors are all vulnerable to the effects of this all-too-common problem.

According to the American Institute of Stress:

77% of people feel physical symptoms from stress
73% experience psychological symptoms from stress
33% of people feel they are living with extreme stress
48% feel their stress has increased over the past 5 years
What are the Symptoms of Stress?
Stress can cause a number of physical, psychological, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. Being aware of the most common signs of stress and taking note of how many of them are affecting you can help you understand if you need to seek help. Physical symptoms include headaches or muscle tension. Psychological and cognitive symptoms inability to focus, anxious thoughts, or feeling depressed. Behavioral symptoms include social isolation or having difficulty sleeping. See below for a more complete list of the symptoms associated with stress.

What Causes Stress?
Some of the top stressful life events according to the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory:

Death of a spouse
Divorce or Separation
Death of a close family member
Major personal injury or illness
Being fired from your job
Marriage Issues
Imprisonment
Retirement

Stress is associated with several mental health disorders, including:

Anxiety
Depression
Anger
Memory issues
Obsessive compulsive disorder
PTSD
Psychosis

TAL CMHC offers beneficial services that encourage insight, self-reflection, and healthy coping mechanisms. Our therapists reinforce positive emotions, placing emphasis on positive behaviors and the connection these behaviors have with feelings.