Stress and anxiety can affect you physically and mentally – they can make it hard to:
- Concentrate
- Make decisions
- Deal with frustration
- Control your temper
- Keep your sense of humour
- Restless or jumpy
- You may experience headaches, dizziness or muscle tension
When stress or anxiety builds up to the point that the feelings are really strong, some people can also have what are called “panic attacks”.
There is little you can do to prevent stress, but there are many things you can do to manage stress more effectively, such as learning how to relax, taking regular exercise and adopting good time-management techniques.
When to see your GP about your stress levels
If you’ve tried self-help techniques and they aren’t working, you should go to see your GP. They may suggest other coping techniques for you to try or recommend some form of counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy.
If your stress is causing serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, you may need to take medication or further tests.
Mental health issues, including stress, anxiety and depression, are the reason for one-in-five visits to a GP.
Primary Care Psychological Therapies (Talking Therapies) help people through talking to a therapist. There are different kinds of talking therapies which use different kinds of approaches. You can be referred to Talking Therapies via your GP or alternatively information can be located on their website. Patients can also self refer to Talking Therapies by phoning 0191 295 2775.
Useful Website- NHS Choices