Stress is typically the result of our appraisal of something that causes us stress (a stressor), such as work load - or our work/work place itself - interaction with others, or life events (such as bereavement, loss or change of job) - as both something negative and with which we are unable to cope.  So it is not so much the event or action that causes us stress as the way we interpret it as being something outside our control and that will have an adverse effect upon us. 

Some simple questions to ask yourself, to see if you are suffering from stress, are:

• Do you frequently bring work home at night?

• Do you feel there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things you must do?

• Do you feel tired even though you've had adequate sleep, or are you having sleep problems?

• Do you find yourself thinking about work or problems when you are meant to be relaxing?

• Do you get irritated or angry easily, or have mood swings?

• Do you find you are depending more on alcohol, caffeine, nicotine or drugs?

• Do you have an increase in muscular aches and pains, e.g. in the neck, head, shoulders, lower back?

• Do you have little time for interests outside of work?

If you've answered yes to several or more of these then you may be suffering from stress and it would make sense to seek help.

Worry is often a consequence and a symptom of stress - worrying about the future, or ruminating about the past, or about work load or work/life balance, or relationships - often characterised by negative 'storytelling'.  What am I going to do for a future career? How can I change my career/job? Why did I do this course? How am I going to get everything done in time? Why can't others in the group/team do their fair share of work? Worry itself is an unhelpful coping strategy as we seek randomly for solutions to the cause of our stress. That in turn can lead to poor sleep (insomnia), tiredness and more worry. And anxiety is a common emotional response to stress and stressful situations. I can help you understand the causes of stress and your response to stress, and give you the tools to help remove it and develop lasting resilience to future stressful situations.

And see my blog post on Worry - what is it and how to deal with it?

See also Work stress / career change below.