IYSS

Stress

• You may feel a bit grumpy or bad tempered 
• You might go off your food, or even start eating too much
• You might find it difficult to concentrate or become a bit forgetful
• You may feel down or tearful
• You may have difficulty sleeping

We're all human and any one of the above "symptoms" can affect us now and again - that's normal.  It becomes a problem when the feelings don't go away and start affecting your life on a day-to-day basis.

How can I help myself?

Try to work out why you are feeling stressed.  This might be due to problems at school or at home.  It might be caused by poor relationships with family or friends, maybe you or someone close to you is ill or perhaps you are worried about exams - there are all sorts of reasons.  The most important thing is not to bottle things up as that will make things worse.  Try talking to someone you can trust such as a relative, friend, teacher or Adviser.  Sometimes just talking about the problem helps.

Where can I go for help?

There are Advisers you can speak to at a One Stop shop.  Just talking things over with them might help, or they will be able to get you the right help, depending of what is causing the problem.  If you don’t want to speak to anyone, there are lots of websites and helplines where you can get confidential advice and information.