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Stress
Causes	Definition	How To Cope	Signs

DEFINITION

Stress is the "wear and tear" on our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment. It has physical and emotional effects on us. Stress can help compel us to action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. It can also result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems. In so adjusting to different circumstances, stress will help or hinder us depending on how we react to it.

You may well be stressed if you recognise yourself as suffering from a combination of the following:

Inability to concentrate.
Difficulty in making decisions.
Felling of being unable to cope.
Lack of self-esteem.
Sleep disturbance or insomnia.
High blood pressure.
Headaches Indigestion.
Nervous tics or muscle spasms.
Breathlessness.
Increased dependence on alcohol.
Lack of appetite.
Nail biting.
Avoidance of social situations.
Withdrawal at work.

If you have five or more of these symptoms then it is possible that you are suffering from stress.