Stress occurs when a person feels they cannot cope with their current demands and pressures. . Stress comes from inside ourselves (e.g. wanting to succeed) and from external events (e.g. being made redundant).

Symptoms of stress include cognitive symptoms (e.g. memory problems and racing thoughts), emotional symptoms (e.g. short temper and agitation), physical symptoms (e.g. headaches and insomnia) and behavioural symptoms (e.g. changes in eating and teeth grinding).

We often can’t control stressful events but we can control our reactions to it. The amount of stress we feel is often due to the importance we place on the event or situation, our beliefs about ourselves, our thoughts about the situation and how we are feeling emotionally.