Stress: Key Q and A

Q: Who's most likely to suffer from stress?

A: Those most likely to report frequent mental stress include younger adults; women in general and working mothers in particular; divorced or widowed individuals; the unemployed; and those on low incomes.

Q: What are the effects of stress?

A: Stress can cause symptoms of a variety of physical and mental illnesses and make you more susceptible to other illness. Some specific symptoms of stress include feeling anxious, depressed or irritable; stomach upset, diarrhoea or appetite changes; muscular tension; headaches; mental or physical fatigue and apathy; sleep disturbances; and frequent minor illnesses.

Q: Can I avoid stress?

A: You probably can't completely avoid stressful situations, but you can alter your reaction to those situations, resulting in far fewer physical symptoms of stress and negative results.

Q: Are there treatments for stress?

A: While you can't necessarily control the events that cause you stress, you can control how you manage the stress. Cognitive-behavioural methods, a form of psychological treatment that is used to help you substitute desirable responses and behaviour patterns for undesirable ones, are the most effective ways to reduce stress.

These methods include identifying sources of stress and then altering or avoiding these circumstances; restructuring your priorities and goals; and adjusting your responses to stress by discussing your feelings, keeping your perspective, looking for the positive and using humour. In addition, learning relaxation techniques - the natural unwinding of the stress response - can be helpful.