Does any of this sound familiar? If so, you could be one of the millions of people suffering from stress.

Stress occurs when the pressures of life exceed our perceived ability to cope. When we experience stressful conditions, a physiological reaction, called the 'fight or flight' response, is triggered. This is our body's primitive, automatic response

that prepares us to fight or flee from harm or threat. In response to a surge of stress hormones into our bloodstream, there is a rise in heart rate, increased blood flow to our muscles, a quickening of impulses and a sharpening of senses.

Today's stresses

Although we are rarely faced with savage predators or similar dangers in the modern world, the inborn fight or flight response still exists prompted today by contemporary stressors like a mounting workload, never-ending housework and the demands of parenthood. In small doses, the stress response can equip us to rise to a challenge or meet a deadline but the persistent nature of many modern stressors can deplete our energy reserves, leaving us exhausted and drained.

In the long-term, the dangers of chronic or unrelieved stress include raised blood pressure, heart disease, depression and infections.

Physical, emotional and behavioural signs of stress

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