This article discusses psychological stress, its signs, and how it can affect your health.

It also offers suggestions for managing your stress.

Someone may become used to it and not recognize it as stress or believe it is a problem.

An illustration with behavioral symptoms of psychological stress

Verywell / Nez Riaz

Older adults and those who are employed tend to have lower levels of stress.

Psychological Stress Symptoms

When responding to pressure, the body releases stress hormones, likeepinephrineand norepinephrine.

Severity depends on the cause and person.

Cognitive or thinking-related effects of stress include:

Emotional symptoms can include:

Changes in behavior can also occur.

These symptoms include:

How Does Psychological Stress Affect Your Health?

This is especially true if you are experiencing overwhelming stress or stress affecting your functioning in life or health.

Your healthcare provider may provide a referral to a mental health professional, like a therapist or psychiatrist.

This could prevent long-term effects and help diagnose a possiblemoodoranxiety disorderthat needs treatment.

Advice to slow down may not be helpful, since people often have few opportunities to do this.

Finding ways to manage your stress can reduce its impact on you and stop it from getting worse.

Stress can cause mental health problems and contribute to physical problems.

Finding ways to manage your stress can reduce the risk of developing long-term stress-related health problems.

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National Institute of Mental Health.Im so stressed out!