Stress is the result of our individual appraisal of a stressor, such as workload, other people’s behaviours, interaction with others, or life events.  It can therefore be said that it is not so much the event or action that causes us stress but the way we interpret it as being something outside of our control that has an adverse effect on us. 

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

• Are you irritated or angered easily, or have mood swings?
• Do you bring work home frequently?
• Do you feel there are not enough hours in the day?
• Do you feel tired even after adequate sleep, or are you having sleep problems?
• Do you think about issues, problems, or work when you should be relaxing?
• Do you find you are depending more on alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, or drugs to relax?
• Do you have increased muscular aches and pains?
• Do you have little time for interests outside of work?

If you have answered yes to just one or two of these question or many of them then you may be suffering from stress, and it would make sense to seek help.

Worry is often a symptom of stress - worrying about workload, work/life balance, relationships, the future, or ruminating about the past – often characterised by negative “fortune-telling” thinking (catastrophising about the future or outcomes).   This style of thinking, in turn, can lead to poor sleep (insomnia), tiredness and more worry.