People feel stressed when they feel like the demands or pressures on them are more than what they can cope with. Feeling pressured, worried, tense, upset, sad, and angry – or maybe a mixture of uncomfortable feelings can happen to anyone and can be entirely normal, but sometimes stress can get too much and can even trigger a mental illness. Sometimes people try to ‘block out’ stress by using drugs or alcohol. This makes things worse in the long run. It is important to get help if stress is getting too much or you are using drugs or alcohol to try and cope.

Stress can affect different people in different ways. Our bodies and minds react when this is happening. It includes emotional feelings, physical symptoms, and changes in how our bodies work.