Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the number of projects you have at work or the depth of these projects? Do you feel the day flies by without your devoting the necessary attention to each assignment because other tasks keep landing on your desk, or because you can’t get it all organized?

You probably know that effective time management will help you get more done each day. It has important health benefits, too. By managing your time more wisely, you can minimize stress and improve your quality of life.

But how do you get back on track when organizational skills don’t come naturally? To get started, choose one of these tips, try it for two to four weeks and see if it helps. If it does, consider adding another one. If not, try a different one.

Plan each day. Planning your day can help you feel more in control of you life. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes.

Prioritize your tasks. Like many people, you may be spending the majority of your time on a small percentage of your tasks. Prioritizing will ensure you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you.

Say no to nonessential tasks. Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on additional work.

Delegate. Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can eliminate or pass on to someone else.

Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall.

Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done.

Practice the 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it.

Evaluate how you’re spending your time. Keep a diary of everything you do for three days to determine how you’re spending your time.

Look for time that can be used more wisely. For example, could you take a bus or train to work and use the commute to catch up on reading? If so, you could free up some time to exercise or spend with family or friends.

Get plenty of sleep and exercise. Improved focus and concentration will help improve your efficiency so that you can complete your work in less time.

Take a time management course. If your employer offers continuing education, take a time management class. If your workplace doesn’t have one, find out if a local community college, university or community education program does.

Take a break when needed. Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation.

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Unusual levels of stress can negatively impact your ability to accomplish personal goals and maintain good health. Challenges such as resolving a family crisis or losing weight become more difficult when stressors mount. Consider the following tips to help you reduce your stress.

Identify your stress triggers

Situations can create stress  Conditions we experience when demands exceed our ability to cope are as unique as you are. Your genes, personality and life experiences all influence the stress response in your body. For example, one person may find it stressful to plan and host a holiday celebration for friends or family. Someone else might enjoy the creative aspects of hosting such an event and even find it gratifying.

Other causes of stress are obvious. You lose your job or a parent dies. But don’t overlook the daily hassles and demands that also contribute to your stress level. Your daily commute or having too much work to do. Over time such persistent little things can accumulate and wreak more havoc on your health than do the sudden big things. That’s why it’s important to recognize all of the causes. Try one or all of these techniques:

Keep a stress journal. For one week, note which events and situations cause a negative physical, mental or emotional response. Record the day and time. Give a brief description of the situation. Where were you? Who was involved? What seemed to cause the stress? Also, describe your reaction. What were your physical symptoms? How did you feel? What did you say or do? Finally, on a scale of 1 (not very intense) to 5 (very intense), rate the intensity of your stress.
Make a list of all the demands on your time and energy for one week. Some examples may include your job, volunteer work, driving kids to after-school activities or caring for an elderly parent. Then, on a scale of 1 (not very intense) to 5 (very intense), rate the intensity of stress that each demand causes.
Sit down and look at your stress recordings. Look closely at the events that you ranked as very stressful. Select one of them to work on using problem-solving techniques.
Improve your time management skills

Effective time management skills can help you identify goals, set priorities and minimize the stress in your life. Use these tips to improve your time management skills and lower your stress level.

• Create realistic expectations and deadlines for yourself, and set regular progress reviews.
• Throw away unimportant papers on your desk. Prepare a master list of tasks.
• Throughout the day, scan your master list and work on tasks in priority order.
• Use a planner. Store addresses and telephone numbers there. Copy tasks from your master list onto the page for the day on which you expect to do them.
• Evaluate and prioritize daily.
• For especially important or difficult projects, reserve an interruption-free block of time behind closed doors.

Overcome burnout

If you dread going to work or feel burned out or stressed over a period of weeks, your situation could affect your professional and personal relationships and even your livelihood. Overwhelming frustration or indifference toward your job, persistent irritability, anger, sarcasm and a quickness to argue are indicators of a condition that needs to be dealt with. Here are strategies you can use:

• Take care of yourself. Eat regular, balanced meals, including breakfast. Get adequate sleep and exercise.
• Develop friendships at work and outside the office. Sharing unsettling feelings with people you trust is the first step toward resolving them. Minimize activities with “negative” friends who only reinforce bad feelings.
• Take time off. Take a vacation or a long weekend. During the workday, take short breaks.
• Set limits. When necessary, learn to say no in a friendly but firm manner.
• Choose battles wisely. Don’t rush to argue every time someone disagrees with you. Keep a cool head, and save your argument for things that really matter.
• Better yet, try not to argue at all.
• Have an outlet. Read, enjoy a hobby, exercise or get involved in some other activity that is relaxing and gets your mind off work.
• Seek help. If none of these things relieves your feelings of stress or burnout, ask a health care professional for advice.

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Feel like you’re lugging a backpack that’s growing heavier by the minute? That’s stress. And too much stress makes life a difficult hike.

What exactly is stress? It’s what you experience when the level of your stressors exceeds your ability to cope. To balance this equation, you need stress relief by changing the level of the stressors or increasing your ability to cope. Try using one of the four As: avoid, alter, accept or adapt.
Changing the level of your stressors

- Attempt to adjust the sources of stress in your life by avoiding or altering them.

Avoid
A lot of needless stress can simply be avoided. Plan ahead, rearrange your surroundings and reap the benefits of a lighter load.

Take control of your surroundings. Is traffic insane? Leave early for work, or take the longer, less traveled route. Hate waiting in line at the corporate cafeteria? Pack your lunch and eat at your desk.

Avoid contact with someone who bothers you. If you have a co-worker who causes your jaw to tense, put physical distance between you. Sit across the table at meetings or walk around his or her cubicle, even if it requires some weaving.

Say no. You have a lot of responsibilities and demands on your time. At a certain point, you cross the line between charitable and foolish. Turn down the neighborhood sports league. Pass on coaching T-ball. Those around you will appreciate more time with a relaxed you. And you’ll have time to enjoy them, too.

Turn off the news. Everyone knows it’s the grisly happenings that get airtime. Opt instead to light a candle and read a relaxing book a few days a week.

Ditch part of your list. Label your to-do list with As, Bs and Cs, according to importance. If it’s a hectic day, scratch the Cs from your list.

Just remember: A certain amount of avoidance is healthy, but some problems refuse to be overlooked. For those situations, try another technique.

Alter
One of the most helpful things you can do during times of stress is to take inventory. Then attempt to change your situation, so things work better in the future.

Respectfully ask others to change their behavior and be willing to do the same. Small problems often create larger ones when they aren’t resolved. If you’re tired of being the butt of your wife’s jokes at parties, ask her to leave you out of the comic lineup. In return, be willing to enjoy her other jokes and thank her for humoring you.

Communicate your feelings openly. Remember to use “I” statements, as in “I feel frustrated by shorter deadlines and a heavier workload. Is there something we can do to balance things out?”

Take risks. Sometimes inaction creates tension. Take the art class you’ve always dreamed about. Vie for the assignment you really want at work. Taking a chance will feel good, regardless of the outcome.

Manage your time better. Organize your day so that like tasks are lumped together like grouping your phone calls, car errands and computer-related tasks. The reward of increased efficiency will be extra time.

State limits in advance. Be proactive. Instead of stewing over a colleague’s nonstop chatter, politely start the conversation with “I’ve got five minutes to cover this.”

Increasing your ability to cope …

- For those cases in which the source of your stress can’t be avoided, try to adjust your ability to tolerate it.

Accept
Sometimes we have no choice but to accept things the way they are. For those times try to:

Talk with someone. You may not be able to change a frustrating situation, but that doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t legitimate. Phone a friend or schedule a coffee break. You will feel better after talking it out.

Forgive. It takes energy to be angry. Forgiving may take practice, but by doing so, you will free yourself from burning more negative energy. Why swim against the current when you could shrug and move on?

Smile. It may improve your mood. Even if you have to fake it, smiles are contagious. Before long, you’re likely to see your smile sincerely reflected back at you.

Practice positive self-talk. It’s easy to lose objectivity when you’re stressed. One negative thought can lead to another, and soon you’ve created a mental avalanche. Be positive. Instead of thinking, “I am horrible with money and will never be able to control my finances,” try this: “I made a mistake with my money, but I am resilient. I’ll get through it.”

Learn from your mistakes. There is value in recognizing a “teachable moment.” You can’t change the fact that procrastination hurt your performance, but you can register the regret to make sure you allot more time in the future.

See stress as an opportunity. Sure you’re tense, but thanks to stress, you were up early Saturday morning perfecting Monday’s presentation. The rest of the day lies ahead, unencumbered.

Adapt
The perception that you can’t cope is actually one of the greatest stressors. That’s why adapting — which often involves changing your standards or expectations — can be the most helpful in dealing with stress.

Adjust your standards. Do you need to vacuum and dust twice a week? Could a box of macaroni and cheese replace homemade lasagna once in a while? Redefine cleanliness, success and perfection, and you may operate with a little less guilt and frustration.
Practice thought-stopping. Stop gloomy thoughts immediately. Refuse to replay a stressful situation as negative, and it may cease to be so.

Reframe. Try looking at your situation from a new reference point. Instead of feeling frustrated that you are home with a sick child, look at it as an opportunity to bond, relax and finish a load of laundry.

Adopt a mantra. Create a saying such as “I can handle this,” and mentally repeat it in tough situations.

Create an assets column. Imagine all of the things that bring you joy in life like vacation, children, pets. Then call on that list when you are stressed. It will put things into perspective and serve as a reminder of life’s joys.
 
Use humor and imagination. Create ridiculous scenarios in your head. Allow yourself to see an atrocious day as comical. Laugh at the lunacy of it all.

Look at the big picture. Ask yourself, “Will this matter in a year? In five years?” The answer is usually no. Realizing this makes a stressful situation seem less overwhelming.

Choosing the right technique

Obviously, one technique doesn’t work for every situation. You can’t avoid all of the stressors in your life, and you shouldn’t accept every hassle that comes your way. Practice appropriately applying these techniques to balance your stress equation. With practice, that once-hefty backpack will become your private bag of tricks. Soon, you’ll pull out just the tool that will keep you hiking through life at a steady clip.
 

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What happens when you are stressed?
Stress is what you feel when you have to handle more than you are used to. When you are stressed, your body responds as though you are in danger. It makes hormones that speed up your heart, make you breathe faster, and give you a burst of energy. This is called the fight-or-flight stress response.

Some stress is normal and even useful. It can help if you need to work hard or react quickly. For example, it can help you win a race or finish an important job on time.

But if stress happens too often or lasts too long, it can have bad effects. It can be linked to headaches, an upset stomach, back pain, or trouble sleeping. It can weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight off disease. If you already have a health problem, stress may make it worse. It can make you moody, tense, or depressed. Your relationships may suffer, and you may not do well at work or school.

What can you do about stress?
The good news is that you can learn ways to manage stress. To get stress under control:

- Find out what is causing stress in your life.
- Look for ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life.
- Learn healthy ways to relieve stress.
- How do you figure out your stress level?
- Sometimes it is clear where stress is coming from. You can count on stress during a major life change such as the death of a loved one, getting married, or having a baby. But other times it may not be so clear why you feel stressed.

It may help to keep a stress journal. Get a notebook and write down when something makes you feel stressed. Then write how you reacted and what you did to deal with the stress. Keeping a stress journal can help you find out what is causing your stress and how much stress you feel. Then you can take steps to reduce the stress or handle it better.

To find out how stressed you are right now, use this Interactive Tool: What Is Your Stress Level?

How can you reduce your stress?
Stress is a fact of life for most people. You may not be able to get rid of stress, but you can look for ways to lower it.

Try some of these ideas:

- Learn better ways to manage your time. You may get more done with less stress if you make a schedule. Think about which things are most important, and do those first.

- Find better ways to cope. Look at how you have been dealing with stress. Be honest about what works and what does not. Think about other things that might work better.

- Take good care of yourself. Get plenty of rest. Eat well. Do not smoke. Limit how much alcohol you drink.
Try out new ways of thinking. When you find yourself starting to worry, try to stop the thoughts. Work on letting go of things you cannot change. Learn to say “no.”

- Ask for help. People who have a strong network of family and friends manage stress better.
Sometimes stress is just too much to handle alone. It can help to talk to a friend or family member, but you may also want to see a counselor.

How can you relieve stress?
You will feel better if you can find ways to get stress out of your system. The best ways to relieve stress are different for each person. Try some of these ideas to see which ones work for you:

• Exercise. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. Walking is a great way to get started.
• Write. It can help to write about the things that are bothering you.
• Let your feelings out. Talk, laugh, cry, and express anger when you need to.
• Do something you enjoy. A hobby can help you relax. Volunteer work or work that helps others can be a great stress reliever.
• Learn ways to relax your body. This can include breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises, massage, aromatherapy, yoga, or relaxing exercises like tai chi and qi gong.
• Focus on the present. Try meditation, imagery exercises, or self-hypnosis. Listen to relaxing music. Try to look for the humor in life. Laughter really can be the best medicine.

Causes of Stress
Long-term (chronic) stress is the type of stress that causes the most serious problems. It is caused by a host of irritating hassles over a period of time, or an ongoing, difficult situation. Conditions that may lead to chronic stress include:

Health problems, if you have a chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes or arthritis.
Emotional problems, such as unexpressed or uncontrolled anger, depression, grief, guilt, or low self-esteem.
Relationship problems, if you do not have someone to share your feelings with, are having difficulty in a relationship, or feel that you have few friends.

Your surroundings, if you live in a dangerous or uncomfortable area where overcrowding, crime, pollution, or noise is a problem.
Your job, if you are unhappy with your work, or your work is dangerous or too demanding. For more information, see the topic Managing Job Stress.

Your social situation, such as poverty, loneliness, or discrimination based on race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.
Life cycle transitions and developmental stages, such as becoming a teenager, leaving home, or getting married.

Conflicts with your belief system—your perceptions and beliefs about the world, life, and yourself. For instance, if you place a high value on family life but don’t have the family life you want, you may feel stress.

A child or teen, or other family member who is under stress because of physical or emotional problems.
Evaluating Stress

Feeling the effects of stress is a normal part of life, especially when you are facing major challenges. But each person responds to stress differently. What causes a lot of stress for one person may not cause stress for someone else. That’s because a large part of stress is a matter of perception—how you view a situation determines how much stress it causes you. Therefore, only you can best evaluate the amount of stress in your life and learn better ways to cope with it.

Ask yourself the following questions to learn what is causing you stress and how you respond:

What job, family, or personal stress do I have?
Chronic stress can be caused by an ongoing stressful situation such as:

Family or relationship problems.
Caring for a family member who is elderly, has chronic health problems, or is disabled. Caregiving is a major source of stress. For more information, see the topic Caregiver Tips.
Job stress.

A family member who is under stress.
Do I have recent major changes in my life?
Stress is an unavoidable part of life and can be good or bad. We routinely experience both types of stress when we go through life changes such as getting married, having a baby, or having a child move away from home.

How am I coping with stress?
Some behaviors and lifestyle choices can interfere with the ways your body seeks relief from stress. For example, as you sleep, your body recovers from the stresses of the day. If you are not getting enough sleep or your sleep is frequently interrupted, you are losing a chance to recover from stress.

Your actions and behavior can be a sign of stress. Some people who face a lot of stress respond by smoking, drinking alcohol, or eating poorly. The health risks posed by these behaviors are made even worse by stress. Your body experiences stress-related wear and tear from two sources: the stress itself and the unhealthy habits you’ve developed to respond to stress. Evaluate how you respond to stress by identifying your positive and negative coping strategies.

Do my beliefs cause me stress?
Some people feel stressed because their beliefs conflict with the way they are living their life. Examine your beliefs to see if conflict between what you believe and what your life is like causes you stress.

If you are not sure that you are stressed or are not sure what is making you feel the way you do, you need to discover what is causing stress. One way to do this is to keep a stress journal, a written record that can help you identify stressors so you can find better ways to cope with them.

Relieving Stress
Some of the most useful stress management skills you can learn are healthy coping strategies. Many of these can be done with little or no instruction. No one strategy is preferable—you need to find what works best for you. Using these techniques regularly until they become habits that are part of your lifestyle is the key. Use this coping strategies evaluation form(What is a PDF document?) to see how you respond to stress.

Ways to work through your emotions and relax your mind

- Writing. There is evidence that writing about stressful events and circumstances may help relieve stress and improve diseases linked to stress.1 Write for 10 to 15 minutes a day about stressful events and how you felt. One way to use writing to deal with stress is to keep a stress journal. This can really help you identify the sources of stress in your life so that you can find better ways to cope with them.

- Expressing your feelings. Discussing how you feel with friends, family members, or a counselor is an important way of coping with and relieving stress. Laughing and crying are also natural ways to release tension and frustration. They are both part of a normal emotional healing process.

- Mindfulness activities. Mindfulness activities help relax your mind and are often combined with body-centered relaxation exercises.
Autogenic training consists of six standard exercises that make the body relax. For each exercise, you use visual imagination and verbal cues to relax your body in some specific way.

- Self-hypnosis can open your mind to suggestions that can relieve stress or change the way you respond to stress.
Meditation focuses your attention on feeling calm and having a clear awareness about your life.
Guided imagery (visualization) is a method of using your imagination to help you relax and release tension caused by stress. Your body responds to the images in your mind. Use these simple imagery exercises for relaxing or renewing your energy when you need to relax.

- Music therapy can relax your body, improve your mood, and change the pace of your day.
Humor therapy is becoming widely accepted as a tool for reducing stress and boosting the body’s immune system.
Ways to relax your body

- Physical activity. Exercise can reduce stress and the stress response. Aerobic exercise—the kind that increases your heart rate, such as walking, running, bicycling, or swimming—is especially useful for counteracting the harmful effects of stress. Even everyday activities such as house cleaning or yard work can reduce your stress level if you do them vigorously. Stretching is also a good way to relieve muscle tension. Regular, moderate physical activity may be the single best approach to managing stress. For more information about becoming more active, see the topic Fitness.

- Doing something you enjoy. A meaningful activity helps relieve tension. This can be a hobby, such as gardening; a creative activity, such as writing, crafts, or art; or doing volunteer work for a cause that benefits others. Playing with and caring for pets also can help you relax. Although you may feel that you are too busy, making time to do something you like can help you relax and make you more productive in other areas of your life.

- Body-centered relaxation. Body-centered relaxation skills are especially useful for people who experience physical symptoms of stress. These skills include:

- Breathing exercises, such as roll breathing, a type of deep breathing.
Progressive muscle relaxation, which reduces muscle tension by relaxing individual groups of muscles one by one.
Massage, such as a shoulder and neck massage. You can see a massage therapist, have a friend or family member give you a massage, or even give yourself a massage.

- Aromatherapy, which uses the aroma-producing oils (essential oils) from plants to promote relaxation.
Yoga, tai chi, and qi gong, which are forms of exercise and meditation. They generally require initial instruction. Books and videos are available, and these activities can be done at home.

- Magnetic field therapy. Researchers believe treatment with magnetic fields may be useful for a number of health conditions, including problems related to stress. But not everyone agrees on this treatment. Some claims of how well it works are not based on science.

Avoiding Unnecessary Stress
Because stress is unavoidable in life, it is important to find ways to reduce or prevent stressful incidents and decrease your negative reactions to stress. Following are activities to help you do this.

Managing time
Time management skills can allow you to spend more time with your family and friends and possibly increase your performance and productivity. This will help reduce your stress.

To improve your time management:

- Save time by focusing and concentrating, delegating, and scheduling time for yourself.
- Keep a record of how you spend your time, including work, family, and leisure time.
- Prioritize your time by rating tasks by importance and urgency. Redirect your time to those activities that are important and meaningful to you.
- Manage your commitments by not over- or undercommitting. Don’t commit to what is not important to you.
- Deal with procrastination by using a day planner, breaking large projects into smaller ones, and setting short-term deadlines.
- Build healthy coping strategies

It is important that you identify your coping strategies. One way to do this is by recording the stressful event, your reaction, and how you coped in a stress journal. With this information, you can work to change unhealthy coping strategies into healthy ones—those that help you focus on the positive and what you can change or control in your life. Use this coping strategies evaluation form(What is a PDF document?) to see how you respond to stress.

Lifestyle
Some behaviors and lifestyle choices affect your stress level. They may not cause stress directly, but they can interfere with the ways your body seeks relief from stress.

Try to:

- Balance personal, work, and family needs and obligations.
- Have a sense of purpose in life.
- Get enough sleep, because your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping.
- Eat a balanced diet for a nutritional defense against stress.
- Get moderate exercise throughout the week.
- Limit your consumption of alcohol.
- Don’t smoke.
- Social support
Social support from family, friends, and the community is a major factor in how we experience stress. Research shows a strong relationship between social support and mental and physical health.2

This type of support includes both emotional support such as love, trust, and understanding, as well as advice and concrete help such as time or money. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it can bring you closer to people you interact with every day, and it can significantly reduce your stress level. If you are feeling stressed, you can look for support from:

- Family members and friends.
- Programs offered through your school or job (for example, assistance programs or stress management courses).
- Colleagues at work, or people you interact with in other areas of your life (such as people who share your hobbies or other interests).
- A professional counselor. Be sure to see someone who has experience and credentials.
- Members or leaders of your church or religious organization. 
- Support groups, if you have special circumstances such as providing care for someone who is elderly or has a chronic illness. Support groups may also be available on the Internet.
Changing thinking

When an event triggers negative thoughts, you may experience fear, insecurity, anxiety, depression, rage, guilt, and a sense of worthlessness or powerlessness. These emotions trigger the body’s stress response, just as an actual threat does. Dealing with your negative thoughts and how you see things can help reduce stress. You can learn these techniques on your own or seek help from a professional such as a counselor or specialist.

Thought-stopping helps you stop a negative thought to help eliminate stress.
Disproving irrational thoughts helps you to avoid exaggerating the negative thought, anticipating the worst, and interpreting an event incorrectly.

Problem solving helps you identify all aspects of a stressful event and find ways to deal with it.
Changing your communication style helps you communicate in a way that makes your views known without making others feel put down, hostile, or intimidated. This reduces the stress that comes from poor communication. Use the assertiveness ladder to improve your communication style.

Treatment for other conditions
You may need treatment for other emotional conditions related to stress, such as anxiety, depression, or insomnia. Treatment may include medicines or professional counseling. See the appropriate topics in Related Information.

Professional Help
Stress can be overwhelming. If this is the case, you may want to seek outside help from a professional counselor or other health professional. This can help you find a number of approaches to reducing the symptoms of stress and help you decrease the stress in your life.

Professional help is available for the following therapies or techniques:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches you to be aware of how you perceive stress, helps you understand how your perception influences your reaction to it, and teaches you how to develop and maintain skills to deal with stress. (See tips for finding a counselor or therapist.)

Biofeedback is a method of consciously controlling a body function that is normally regulated automatically by the body, such as skin temperature, muscle tension, heart rate, or blood pressure. Learning biofeedback requires several sessions in a biofeedback lab or other setting.

Hypnosis by a hypnotherapist helps people accept suggestions that can help change their behavior. It is important to find a health professional with a lot of training and experience in hypnotherapy. Some psychologists, counselors, doctors, and dentists are experienced in hypnotherapy.

Effects of Stress
Stress can affect you both immediately (acute stress) and over time (chronic stress).

Tension is often the first signal of acute stress. Tense muscles are tight and feel “hard” to the touch. A tense mind makes you feel jumpy, irritable, and unable to concentrate. This could be your signal to do something about stress, both for your immediate comfort and to prevent the long-term effects of stress.

Symptoms of stress
Common symptoms of stress include:

- Rapid heartbeat.
- Headache.
- Stiff neck and/or tight shoulders.
- Backache.
- Rapid breathing.
- Sweating and sweaty palms.
- Upset stomach, nausea, or diarrhea.

You also may notice signs of stress in your thinking, behavior, or mood. You may:

- Become irritable and intolerant of even minor disturbances.
- Feel irritated or frustrated, lose your temper more often, and yell at others for no reason.
- Feel jumpy or exhausted all the time.
- Find it hard to concentrate or focus on tasks.
- Worry too much about insignificant things.
- Doubt your ability to do things.
- Imagine negative, worrisome, or terrifying scenes.
- Feel you are missing opportunities because you cannot act quickly.
Acute stress problems
Acute (short-term) stress is the body’s immediate reaction to any situation that seems demanding or dangerous. Your stress level depends on how intense the stress is, how long it lasts, and how you cope with the situation. The body usually recovers quickly from acute stress, but it can cause problems if it happens too often or your body doesn’t have a chance to return to normal. In people who have heart problems, acute stress can trigger an abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia) and even a heart attack.

Life-threatening or traumatic events, such as sexual abuse or war experiences, can cause acute stress disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For more information, see the topic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Chronic stress problems
Chronic stress can be the result of a host of irritating hassles or a long-term life condition, such as a difficult job situation or living with a chronic disease. In people who have higher levels of chronic stress, the stress response lasts longer. Over time, chronic stress can have an effect on:1, 3

The immune system. Under stress, the body becomes more vulnerable to illnesses, from colds and minor infections to major diseases. If you have a chronic illness such as AIDS, stress can make the symptoms worse.

Cardiovascular disease. Stress is linked to high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia), problems with blood clotting, and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). It is also linked to coronary artery disease, heart attack, and heart failure.
Muscle pain. People who are stressed often have neck, shoulder, and low back pain. This may be caused by constant tension in the muscle because of stress. Stress also affects rheumatoid arthritis.
Stomach and intestinal problems. Stress may be a factor in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Reproductive organs. Stress is linked to painful menstrual periods, decreased fertility, and erection problems.
The lungs. Stress can make symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) worse.
Skin problems. Stress can make disorders such as acne or psoriasis worse.

Individual differences

How stress affects you depends on several things including:

- Inherited traits.
- Your experience with stress.
- How you perceive stress.
- Your coping strategies.
- Your social support.
 
Some people seem to stand up to or bounce back from stress better than others, and some even seem to thrive on stress—this is known as being stress-hardy or resilient.

When you understand how you deal with stress, you can make lifestyle changes to lower your stress level, help you cope with stress better, and help you recover from stress more quickly.

Other Places To Get Help
Organizations:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
200 Independence Avenue SW
Suite 715-H
Washington, DC 20201
Phone:  1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674)
(513) 533-8328 (outside the U.S.)
Fax:  (513) 533-8573
Web Address:  www.cdc.gov/niosh
 
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts research and makes recommendations for the prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses. NIOSH also provides information to the public.
 
American Institute of Stress 
124 Park Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10703
Phone:  (914) 963-1200
Fax:  (914) 965-6267
E-mail:  stress125@optonline.net
Web Address:  http://www.stress.org
 
The American Institute of Stress monthly newsletter, Health and Stress, provides updated information on a variety of stress-related topics. The organization also organizes and participates in relevant conferences and prepares informational packets on all stress-related topics.
 
American Psychological Association 
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Phone:  1-800-374-2721
(202) 336-5500
TDD:  (202) 336-6123
Web Address:  www.apa.org 
 
The American Psychological Association provides information and brochures on a number of topics, including stress, anxiety, and depression. Visit their http://helping.apa.org site for information on the mind/body connection, family and relationships, and how therapy works.
 
Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback 
10200 West 44th Avenue
Suite 304
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
Phone:  (800) 477-8892
(303) 422-8436
Fax:  (303) 422-8894
E-mail:  aapb@resourcenter.com
Web Address:  www.aapb.org
 
The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) is a nonprofit organization of clinicians, researchers, and educators in biofeedback and related mind-body fields. The organization seeks to advance knowledge about applied psychophysiology and biofeedback to improve health and the quality of life through research, education, and practice. The AAPB Web site provides information about biofeedback and other fields that investigate the mind-body connection in a scientific way. The organization also can help you find a certified biofeedback practitioner in your area.
 
International Stress Management Association, USA 
E-mail:  info@isma-usa.org
Web Address:  www.isma-usa.org
 
The International Stress Management Association (ISMA) promotes sound knowledge and best practices in the prevention and reduction of human stress. ISMA publishes a professional journal, the International Journal of Stress Management, and has branches in 13 countries. The Web site has a library of consumer-oriented articles by members, a list of books written by members, and information about stress assessment tools.
 
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Phone:  1-866-615-6464 toll-free
(301) 443-4513
Fax:  (301) 443-4279
TDD:  1-866-415-8051 toll-free
E-mail:  nimhinfo@nih.gov
Web Address:  www.nimh.nih.gov
 
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) provides information to help people better understand mental health, mental disorders, and behavioral problems. NIMH does not provide referrals to mental health professionals or treatment for mental health problems.
 

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Job stress comes in many different forms and affects your body in various ways. Minor sources of stress may include equipment that won’t work or phones that won’t quit ringing. Major stress comes from having too much work, not having enough work, doing work that is unfulfilling, fearing a job layoff, or not getting along with your boss.

Usually it is the major sources of stress that lead to burnout, causing people to become unhappy and less productive in their work. Job stress can affect your health and home life as well. Low levels of stress may not be noticeable; slightly higher levels can be positive and challenge you to act in creative and resourceful ways; and high levels can be harmful, contributing to chronic disease.

The major sources of job stress fall into seven categories:

Control. This factor is the most closely related to job stress. Studies show that workers who believe that they have a great deal of responsibility but little control or decision-making power in their jobs are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and other stress-related illnesses.

Increased responsibilities. Taking on additional responsibilities in your job can be stressful. This can be worse if you have too much work to do and are unable to say no to new tasks or projects.

Competence. Are you concerned about your ability to perform well? Are you challenged enough, but not too much? Do you feel secure in your job? Job insecurity is a major source of stress for many people.
Clarity. Feeling uncertain about what your duties are, how they may be changing, or what your department’s or organization’s goals are can lead to stress.

Communication. Workplace tension often results from poor communication, which in turn increases job stress. An inability to express your concerns, frustrations, or other emotions can also lead to increased stress.

Support. Feeling unsupported by your coworkers may make it harder to resolve other problems at work that are causing you stress.
Significance. If you don’t find your job meaningful or take pride in it, you may find it stressful.

Managing job stress
Here are some options for lowering stress on the job:

Meet with your supervisor at least once a year (every 3 or 6 months is better) to talk about your performance and your job. If a performance review is already part of your job, treat it as a chance to clear up issues that may be causing stress for you. Discuss the following:

What is expected of me in this position?
Where is this company going, and how do I fit into that plan?
How am I doing? What are my strengths? Areas for improvement?
What can I expect from you if a problem with my work or my job should occur?
If I continue my current high-quality performance, how and when can I expect to be rewarded?
 
Manage your time well. It’s important to leave your job at the office, even if your office is a room in your home. If you give up free time to get more work done, you may pay for it with stress-related symptoms. If your employer offers a flexible work schedule, take advantage of it to fit your own work style. For instance, come in earlier to have a longer midday break or to make time for a yoga class or workout.

Unplug. Technologies such as cellular phones and the Internet have made it possible to be available to everyone, including clients and coworkers, at all times. Do not allow technology to eliminate the boundaries between your time and your employer’s time. Leave your work cell phone behind when having it with you is not absolutely necessary, or decide not to answer it during times you have set aside for yourself or your family. Avoid checking work e-mail at home.

Know when to quit. If you are truly miserable because of a stressful job and the suggestions above have not worked, it may be time to think about changing jobs. Make sure you know whether it is you or the job that’s the problem. Before quitting, spend time researching other job options. Being unemployed will probably also lead to stress. Getting another job before quitting is ideal, but sometimes that isn’t possible. Decide what is less stressful for you: unemployment or being miserable in your current job.

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