Stress

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Not all stress is bad. All animals have a stress response, and it can be life-saving. But chronic stress can cause both physical and mental harm.

There are at least three different types of stress:

• Routine stress related to the pressures of work, family, and other daily responsibilities
• Stress brought about by a sudden negative change, such as losing a job, divorce, or illness
• Traumatic stress, which happens when you are in danger of being seriously hurt or killed. Examples include a major accident, war, assault, or a natural disaster. This type of stress can cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Different people may feel stress in different ways. Some people experience digestive symptoms. Others may have headaches, sleeplessness, depressed mood, anger, and irritability. People under chronic stress get more frequent and severe viral infections, such as the flu or common cold. Vaccines, such as the flu shot, are less effective for them.

Some people cope with stress more effectively than others. It's important to know your limits when it comes to stress, so you can avoid more serious health effects.

NIH: National Institute of Mental Health

Start Here

• 5 Things You Should Know about Stress (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
• Different Kinds of Stress (American Psychological Association) Also in Spanish
• Manage Stress (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)
• Stress Management (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• What Is Stress Management? (American Heart Association)

Symptoms

• Stress Symptoms: Effects on Your Body and Behavior (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Listening to the Warning Signs of Stress (American Psychological Association)

Treatments and Therapies

• 5 Things To Know About Relaxation Techniques for Stress (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Meditation (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Relaxation Techniques for Health (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Stress Management: Tai Chi (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stress Management: Yoga (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Exercise for Stress and Anxiety (Anxiety and Depression Association of America)
• Feeling Stressed? Stress Relief Might Help Your Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Live Your Life Well (Mental Health America)
• Managing Your Stress in Tough Economic Times (American Psychological Association) Also in Spanish
• Road to Resilience (American Psychological Association) Also in Spanish
• Stress Management (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Stress Management: Being Assertive (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stress Management: Job Stress (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stress Management: Positive Thinking (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stress Management: Social Support (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stress Management: Spirituality (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stress Management: When and How to Say No (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Adult Health: Discover if You're at Risk of Job Burnout (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• How Stress Affects Your Health (American Psychological Association) Also in Spanish
• Mind/Body Health: Job Stress (American Psychological Association) Also in Spanish
• Psychological Stress and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Stress and High Blood Pressure: What's the Connection? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Stress and Migraine (American Migraine Foundation)

Health Check Tools

• Test Your Stress Smarts! (American Psychological Association)

Statistics and Research

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Stress in America (American Psychological Association)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Stress, Psychological (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Prevent Compassion Fatigue and Burnout With a Magnet Culture.
• Article: Effectiveness of music therapy with relaxation technique on stress management as...
• Article: Management of psychological distress by non-specialists in conflict-affected areas.
• Stress -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Services Locator (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Finder (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
• National Institute of Mental Health
• Psychologist Locator (American Psychological Association)

Children

• Childhood Stress (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Feelin' Frazzled...? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Got Butterflies? Find Out Why (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers (American Psychological Association)
• Signs of Overload (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Teenagers

• 5 Ways to Beat Pre-performance Nerves (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• About Stressful Situations (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Feeling Stressed (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• Teens and Stress: Who Has Time for It? (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• What Stresses You Out about School? (Nemours Foundation)

Women

• Stress and Mood (National Cancer Institute, Tobacco Control Research Branch)
• Stress and Your Health (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)

Patient Handouts

• Adjustment disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Help your teen cope with stress (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Learn to manage stress (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Overcoming job stress (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Relaxation techniques for stress (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Stress and your health (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Stress and your heart (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish