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What is stress?

More often than not, we describe ourselves as 'stressed'. But what exactly is stress?

Stress can be your friend or your foe. When stress fuels the spark of personal achievement, it can work to your benefit by making you more perceptive and productive - acting as a motivator and even making you more creative. But when stress spirals out of control - as it often does for most of us in our 21st-century world - it can take a terrible toll on your physical and emotional health, as well as your relationships.

While stress is not considered an illness, it can cause specific medical symptoms, often serious enough to send women to Casualty or their doctor's surgery. In today's fast-paced world, women are experiencing more stress at every stage of their lives than ever before. Juggling professional life, education needs, family schedules, money issues, career advancement and child- and elderly-care concerns are only a few of the common stressors confronting women.

Working mothers, regardless of whether they are married or single, face higher stress levels - both in the workplace as well as at home.

Stress at work
Research commissioned by International Stress Management Association UK (ISMAUK) and Royal & SunAlliance found that stress levels continue to rise in today's workforce, with one in two workers saying that they had experienced stress at work during the last 12 months and one in four needing time off work as a result. Too much work is the most common cause of stress with almost three quarters citing this as the main reason. Other catalysts include deadline pressures (62%), an unsupportive work environment (40%) and problems with maintaining an acceptable work/life balance (also 40%).

Stress in the workplace affects people throughout their lives. The research showed that over half of stressed workers feel that it is damaging their health; reducing their job satisfaction (65%); and lowering their productivity (41%). Other major areas of life that stress at work affects included deterioration in social life (49%) and problems with relationships - with their partner (38%) and their children (23%). One in five suffering from stress consult professional help. The situation is likely to get worse, with two out of three people expecting it to remain unchanged or even deteriorate.

How stress figures

• 53% of people have experienced stress at work during the last 12 months
• 57% of these say that stress has increased over the last 12 months
• 52% of these feel that it is damaging their health
• 72% of these people get stressed from too much work
• 41% of these people say it is reducing their productivity
• 20% of people experiencing problems due to stress at work have sought medical or other professional help
• 63% of people experiencing problems due to stress at work expect the situation to remain unchanged or get worse in the coming year
• Yorkshire is the most stressful place to work in the UK

Stress can cause a variety of physical ailments, from headache to symptoms that mimic a heart attack. In addition, stress can cause the same symptoms as those caused by depression and anxiety. In either case, you should discuss your symptoms with your GP. A thorough assessment by your doctor will help determine the cause of these symptoms. You may find that stress has triggered an illness, such as high blood pressure.

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