What is emotional stress? Signs, causes and coping tips

If you are finding that the littlest challenge seems to stress you out lately, or if you frequently find yourself responding to everyday problems with uneasiness and strain, you might be dealing with emotional stress. Emotional strain is a common and understandable reaction to life’s stressors, but living with emotional stress for long periods of time can have significant impacts on your quality of life.

What is emotional stress, exactly? “Emotional stress is the feeling of anxiety, tension, or overwhelm caused by day-to-day problems or big changes in life,” says Gennifer Williams, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker with Grow Therapy. “This type of stress mainly affects your mind and emotions but can also cause physical issues like headaches or fatigue.” Emotional stress is also sometimes referred to as emotional tension or emotional distress.

Everyone experiences stress from time to time. Emotional stress can be distinguished from other kinds of stress by how long it lasts, as well as what triggers it. For example, it’s common to experience acute stress after a life crisis or emergency, but this is usually temporary and resolves within a short time frame. Emotional stress is more chronic stress. “Unlike acute stress brought on by immediate problems or physical stress from things like intense exercise, emotional stress can last a long time and requires different coping strategies,” Williams says.

Here, we’ll take a comprehensive look at emotional stress, including emotional stress symptoms, the causes of emotional stress, the effects of emotional stress, and how to cope with emotional stress.

Signs and symptoms of emotional stress

Although the term emotional stress has the word “emotional” in it, this type of stress isn’t just felt emotionally. Emotional stress impacts a person’s psychology and moods, their physical health, and has ripple effects on a person’s behavior. “Recognizing these symptoms is important for managing stress and keeping your overall health and happiness in check,” Williams notes.

Psychological signs

Some common psychological signs of emotional stress include:

• Anxiety

• Feeling constantly worried

• Having frequent mood swings

• Feeling irritable and on edge

• Feeling depression or hopeless

• Feelings of guilt

• Trouble concentrating

• Ruminating or obsessive thinking

• Feeling overwhelmed

It’s important to note that if you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicidal ideation, you should seek immediate mental health care. Please call the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988.

Physical symptoms

Emotional stress can have intense physical symptoms at times, and can include:

• Racing heartbeat

• A heavy feeling in your chest

• Headaches

• Migraines

• Muscle tension and strain

• Body aches

• Fatigue

• Trouble sleeping

• Dizziness

• Shortness of breath

• Nausea or digestive problems, like constipation or diarrhea

• Jaw tightness or grinding your teeth

Keep in mind that some of these symptoms — such as chest heaviness and trouble breathing — are signs of a medical emergency. If you have any concerns about your physical symptoms, consider seeking emergency medical help or reaching out to a physician.

Behavioral symptoms

Emotional stress can end up impacting your behavior, usually in unhealthy and unhelpful ways. Some of the behavioral symptoms associated with emotional stress include:

• Losing your temper more easily

• Restlessness and pacing

• Changes in eating habits, either overeating or finding it difficult to eat

• Withdrawing socially and isolating yourself

• Increased used of drugs, alcohol, or other addictive substances to cope with stress

Causes of emotional stress

In many cases, the cause of emotional stress is multifactorial, meaning that more than one factor caused you to experience emotional stress. At other times, one main cause is the trigger. “Emotional stress can be caused by all aspects of personal, environmental, and internal influences,” says Sabrina Nasta, LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor with Grow Therapy.

Let’s take a look at each of the causes that Nasta mentioned.

Personal factors

“Personal causes are more related to an individual’s connection with the external world and how one’s beliefs, opinions, perceptions are impacted by the existence of their personal world, i.e., relationships,” Nasta explains.

Personal factors may also include how one’s physical health impacts their mind and emotions. For example, recent research has linked imbalances in our gut microbiome with the development of mood disorders, such as depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

Examples of personal factors that can trigger emotional stress includes:

• Tension within relationships (with family members, friends, romantic partners)

• Financial problems

• Health issues

• Chronic illnesses

Environmental factors

Environmental causes can include anything in your external world that may impact your emotional and mental health. Many of us don’t realize how much of an impact these environmental factors can have on us, but they are a significant cause of emotional stress.

Some environmental factors that can cause emotional stress are:

• Work-related stresses, such as job dissatisfaction or work overload

• Any major life changes, including moving, divorce, or loss of a loved one

• Traumatic events such as abuse, accidents, and natural disasters

• Living in an unsafe neighborhood, poverty, discrimination

• Upheaval in your home life or community

Internal factors

Internal causes may include “internal beliefs, conclusions and understandings of self and the world,” Nasta describes. These include factors that we may be aware of and other factors that we are less aware of, but which shape who we are and how we handle stressful situations.

Examples of internal factors may include:

• Low self-esteem

• Negative self-perception

• Internal pressure or high expectations

• Negative thought patterns

• Lack of healthy coping skills

Impact of emotional stress on overall health

Most of us are aware of how emotional stress impacts our mental and emotional well being. But the impact of emotional stress goes beyond that. “Emotional stress does not just take a toll on our minds; it affects our physical health too,” Williams notes. “Knowing how closely our mental and physical health are connected highlights the need for a range of ways to manage stress and promote overall wellness and resilience.”

Read on for a closer look at how emotional stress impacts both our mental and physical health.

Mental health consequences

As you live with emotional stress for a long period of time, it can seriously affect your overall mental health and well-being, says Melissa Galica, LPC, a licensed professional counselor with Grow Therapy. “Chronic emotional distress is linked to an increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders, and even PTSD,” Galica notes.

Mental health consequences of emotion stress include:

• Development or exacerbation of mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.

• Decreased cognitive function (i.e., “brain fog”), which may include concentration and memory issues.

Physical health effects

Emotional stress can have strong impacts on your physical health. For instance, heightened anxiety can lead to sleep disturbances, Williams says. “Physically, it weakens our immune defenses, strains our bodies, and disrupts digestion and sleep,” she adds.

Some possible physical health impacts you may experience are:

• A weakened immune system, making you more vulnerable to getting sick.

• Cardiovascular issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and heart attacks.

• Gastrointestinal problems like ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhea, and nausea.

• Triggering of autoimmune conditions including arthritis and lupus.

• Flare-ups of skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

Coping strategies for emotional stress

While it’s normal to experience emotional stress at times in life, when it becomes constant, and when it begins to affect your ability to function in daily life, it’s time to take action. You don’t just have to “put up” with emotional stress. There are things you can do to manage stress and reduce its impact on your life.

Effective coping tools

When emotional stress comes on suddenly and intensely, and when you are in need of a more immediate solution, you’ll want to employ some coping tools. “Dealing with emotional stress can begin with quick tools like deep breathing and grounding exercises to promote relaxation right away,” Williams recommends.

Some evidence-based coping tools to add to your tool-box include:

• Deep breathing exercises and relaxation techniques

• Progressive muscle relaxation and body scans

• Journaling

• Meditation and mindfulness

• Writing a daily “worry list” and gratitude

• Mindful walking

• Yoga

• Mind-body practices like Tai Chi and Qigong, which have shown promise in the treatment of psychosomatic disorders (psychological disorders that have physical symptoms)

Lifestyle stress management techniques

Coping tools can be helpful for emotional distress, but the key to decreasing emotional stress is to incorporate a long-term coping strategy on a more enduring basis. “Longer-lasting solutions may focus more on lifestyle changes such as eating well, staying active, and learning how to manage your time and solve problems effectively,” Williams describes.

This might look like:

• Engaging in regular physical activity

• Eating a healthy, balanced diet

• Staying well hydrated

• Prioritizing sleep and practicing good sleep hygiene

• Learning to set healthy boundaries with others

• Shifting unhelpful thought patterns

Emotional and psychological support

Coping with emotional stress is not something we are meant to do alone. Isolating yourself from others is a common symptom of emotional distress, which can make it hard to reach out for help. But it’s essential to do so. You can start by talking to trusted family and friends about how you are feeling. This first step may open you up to seeking professional help, such as therapy and counseling, or to seek help from support groups or community resources.

Role of therapy in managing emotional stress

Therapy is an essential tool for managing emotional stress and for decreasing the impact it has on your life. “Working with a therapist can be invaluable for unpacking emotional wounds, reframing limiting beliefs, and building resilience to better cope with life’s ups and downs,” Galica emphasizes.

Here’s what to know about the most common types of therapy for emotional stress.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps people identify negative thoughts and change thought patterns that are unhealthy and negatively affecting their mental health and well being. Research shows that CBT is particularly helpful when it comes to stress management and stress-related mental health disorders. CBT can help with the ruminating and obsessive thinking symptoms common to emotional stress. CBT can also help manage some of the related mental health conditions and behavioral problems that can develop as a result of emotional stress, like depression, anxiety, eating issues, and substance abuse.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a type of therapy known to decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. It teaches you techniques for observing your thoughts and feelings in nonreactive and more accepting ways. You’ll learn mindfulness techniques, meditation exercises, body scans, yoga and other movement practices.

Other therapeutic approaches

There are many different types of therapy modalities that can help with emotional stress. Some of the other approaches to consider include:

• Psychodynamic therapy

• Exposure therapy

• Group therapy

• Art and music therapy

The bottom line

Emotional stress can have a strong hold on your life, but you have power here. “The key is developing proactive approaches (being reactive only leads to more stress) to managing stress healthily,” Galica says. “It’s not about eliminating emotional stress, which is impossible, but learning to cope well when it arises.”

How to do this? You need to find the right support — someone who is committed to prioritizing your emotional well-being, so you face whatever challenges life throws at you with resilience. Friends and family can provide this support, but a mental health professional is uniquely equipped to help you through the storms of emotional stress.

“Therapy provides a safe space to explore difficult emotions, gain self-understanding, learn healthy coping skills, and feel supported through trying times,” Galica concludes. “A skilled therapist can help you get unstuck from unhealthy patterns, work through unresolved issues, and develop self-awareness and emotional regulation skills to navigate stress more effectively.”