April is Stress Awareness Month. How can Spire GP help you help yourself?
23 April 2018
Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure due to many reasons. Many of life’s demands can cause stress: particularly work, relationships and money problems. At Spire Gatwick Park Hospital the private GP Service would like to offer healthcare and health promotion during this valuable time. Having private time to discuss any concerns with a GP and professional advice can be life altering.
Stress can affect how you feel, think, behave and how your body works. In fact, common signs of stress include sleeping problems, sweating, loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating. You may feel anxious, irritable or low in self esteem, and you may have racing thoughts, worry constantly or go over things in your head. You may notice that you lose your temper more easily, drink more or act unreasonably. You may also experience headaches, muscle tension or pain, or dizziness.
Stress is very common and it is difficult to put an exact figure to it. Research has shown that around 12 million adults in the UK see their GP with mental health problems each year. Most of these suffer from anxiety and depression and much of this is stress-related. 13.3 million working days are lost per year due to stress, depression and anxiety (more information can be found on mentalhealth.org.uk).
Some pressure is common and can be a good motivator but pressure turns into stress when you feel unable to cope. Pressure causes a surge of hormones in your body, which are released to enable you to deal with pressures or threats – the so-called "fight or flight" response. Prolonged over time this response can become overwhelming and become stress. When you feel stressed, it can get in the way of sorting out these demands, be totally confusing or can even affect everything you do.
Learning to relax, making lifestyle changes and seeking help are all beneficial. Depending on your individual needs, we can offer suitable treatment. Please do seek help if you have any concerns.
If you would like to book an appointment with our private GPs please contact us on 01293 839 106 or go to our online portal.