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What causes stress?
What are some symptoms of stress?
How do you relieve stress?

Stress

August 13, 2024

Reviewed by Gregory Fricchione, MD, Contributor; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can arise from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. In short bursts or in tolerable quantities, stress can be beneficial, such as when it helps you meet a deadline or confront a challenge that promotes your growth and ability to cope. But when stress persists over a long time or becomes overwhelming, it can become toxic and harm your health.

There are two main types of stress:

Acute stress is short-term stress that passes quickly. It helps you manage sudden dangerous situations like slamming the brakes to avoid hitting an oncoming car. All people experience acute stress at one time or another. When acute stress occurs repeatedly, it’s called episodic acute stress.
Chronic stress. This is stress that lasts for weeks or months. Chronic stress can arise from ongoing problems like financial issues, an unhappy relationship, or trouble at work. You can grow so accustomed to chronic stress that you don’t recognize it is a problem.

Chronic stress can last days, weeks, or months and debilitate physical health and emotional well-being. People experiencing chronic stress often feel helpless to change their circumstances.

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What causes stress?

Stress activates the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. It releases a surge of neurotransmitters and hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that place us on high alert: heart rate increases, breathing quickens, and muscles tense. The stress response provides the burst of energy we need to fight a threat or flee to safety.

Unfortunately, we perceive many everyday situations as life-threatening, even if they are not. These reactions trigger our fight-or-flight response and cause stress levels to elevate.

There are many kinds of stress triggers, such as:

Financial problems
Too many responsibilities
Not enjoying your job
Working long hours
Facing harassment at work or school
Losing your job
Death of a loved one
Ending a relationship
Injury
Feeling guilty about your actions or lack of action
Being the victim of a crime
Witnessing or experiencing violence
Encountering reminders of past traumatic experiences

What are some symptoms of stress?

Every time the fight-or-flight response is activated, it floods the body with stress-related hormones. Over time, repeated activation of the stress response—acute or chronic—takes a toll on the body.

Stress can manifest as recurring everyday health issues including headaches, stomach aches, chest pains, nausea, and indigestion. People under stress can also experience emotional problems, such as irritability, difficulty concentrating, and withdrawal from friends and family.

Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure and can change the brain in a way that can lead to anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior.

It also can alter the immune system leading to a chronic low grade inflammatory response. Over time, this can lower the threshold for a variety of stress related illnesses including cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders, and asthma and can accelerate the aging process. Stress- related changes in the immune response can also increase susceptibility to colds and other common viral infections.

Other issues exacerbated by stress include:

Obesity. Research suggests that chronic stress might directly contribute to obesity by increasing appetite and the motivation to eat, which can lead to stress-eating. Stress can also cause sleep problems and decrease the motivation to exercise, both of which can also lead to weight gain.

Hives. Stress can also cause hives, a common skin rash, and can trigger flare-ups of other skin conditions including eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis.

How do you relieve stress?

Stress management strategies are an effective way to prevent and relieve stress. For example:

Relaxation techniques. Practicing techniques to activate the relaxation response can help counteract the effects of chronic stress by slowing breathing, relaxing muscles, and reducing blood pressure. There are many ways to initiate a relaxation response when stressed. For example:

Make a tight fist, hold it for 20 seconds, and release. Do this several times, paying attention to how your body feels when you tense and relax.
Take a deep breath, filling your lungs and belly. Breathe out slowly. Repeat until you feel your body relax.
Focus on a single uplifting word or short phrase. Repeat the word or phrase while deep breathing for five to 10 minutes.
Practice a “box breathing technique” for a few cycles by inhaling to a count of four, holding your breath to a count of four, exhaling to at least a count of four, and waiting to a count of four before beginning the cycle again.

Mindfulness. Mindfulness is about being fully present in the moment without being overly judgmental, reactive, or overwhelmed by the experience in order to achieve self-awareness and transcendence in everyday life. You can practice mindfulness as you go about your day or by doing mindfulness exercises.

To practice mindfulness during your typical day, pay attention to your senses. Think about what you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste when doing a task. Tune in to each sense, noticing your thoughts and emotions.
For a mindfulness exercise, sit quietly and close your eyes. Take several slow, deep breaths maintaining a focused awareness on your breathing. When you notice your thoughts wandering, gently bring them back to your breath. Continue for five to 10 minutes. Then open your awareness by using your five senses and being in the moment observing your thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental way.
Yoga. Yoga and other mind-body practices, like qi gong and tai chi, encourage mental and physical relaxation. The physical poses help strengthen and loosen tense muscles. Yoga also combines movement with deep breathing and mental focus. It can counteract the physical effects of stress and allow you to respond, rather than react, to stress.

Exercise. Regular exercise increases endorphins, the feel-good hormone, and decreases levels of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Exercise also improves energy levels and mood and can distract from worries. Any type of exercise is helpful.

Sleep. Stress raises cortisol levels, and sleep lowers them. Adults should aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night. Adequate sleep also helps with stress-related issues, such as weight management, blood pressure, and emotional well-being.

Social activity. A circle of friends and family can help provide emotional support during periods of intense stress.