5 physical symptoms of stress and how to manage them

Stress can show up in surprising ways. We share five common physical symptoms of stress and explore practical ways to manage them

You might think that stress is something that lives in your mind: racing thoughts, lingering worry and nerves, that creeping feeling towards being overwhelmed. But stress often speaks to us through our bodies first, if we just know how to listen to it. 

More and more of us are feeling stress to the point of being overwhelmed or unable to cope. According to the Mental Health UK’s 2026 Burnout Report, one in five of us (20%) took time off last year due to poor mental health caused by stress, with nearly two in five (39%) of 18-24-year-olds taking time off for the same reason, and an overwhelming 91% of us experienced high or extreme levels of pressure and stress in 2025. 

Stress doesn’t just leave us feeling mentally overwhelmed and exhausted; it can have a physical impact, too. According to research from the American Psychological Association, around two-thirds of people experience physical symptoms of stress. 

So, what are some of the most common physical symptoms of stress? And what can we start doing about them?

What are the common physical symptoms of stress?

When it comes to stress, often, the mental and emotional toll it can have on us is what first comes to mind. But there are many ways that stress can physically affect us, too. Signs and symptoms of stress can be easy to overlook, or to dismiss as being caused by something else in our lives – after all, who isn’t guilty of one late night too many, doomscrolling on their phone or catching up on the latest must-watch series? But physical symptoms are often the first sign that something isn’t quite right.

Here are some of the most common ways stress can affect your body.

Tension headaches and muscle aches

Have you ever noticed your shoulders creeping up and up and up when you’re under pressure? Or maybe you are grinding your teeth and jaw-clenching when you’re on a deadline or feel under pressure? Stress can cause your muscles to tighten without you even realising it. Over time, this tension caused by stress can lead to headaches, an aching neck, shoulders, back, and even a sore jaw or facial pain. 

Digestive issues

Your gut and brain are closely connected. When you’re stressed, your gut can be affected more quickly than you might realise. You might feel nauseous, experience diarrhoea or constipation, or have stomach cramps and bloating.

Registered Nutritionist Therapist, Health Coach, and Nutritionist Resource Member, Dominika Stanciakova, explains, “The gut microbiome composition is directly influenced by psychological stress. Numerous studies have found that chronic stress can reshape the gut microbiota via complex processes, causing bacterial imbalances, intestinal inflammation and intestinal permeability. Although there is powerful evidence to suggest that following a healthy diet (such as the Mediterranean diet) can positively alter a microbiome's composition and thus reinforce the intestinal barrier, it is clear that exposure to chronic stress can also undoubtedly influence the microbiome population, bringing about various health complications.”

If you already have digestive issues, stress can make these feel worse – so managing your stress levels may have a more positive impact on your overall health than you might expect.  

Skin flare-ups

It’s not just the inside of your body that’s impacted by stress – the outside can be affected, too. Your skin can be affected in various ways during stressful periods. This could include breakouts, dry patches of skin, rashes, or flare-ups of conditions like eczema or psoriasis during stressful periods. This happens because your stress levels can trigger inflammation and changes in hormone levels, which can go on to affect how your skin behaves. 

Fatigue 

When we’re stressed, the stress response releases hormones designed to help our bodies respond to danger. While this is helpful in short bursts, it can be exhausting when it happens again, and again, and again. It can leave you feeling physically drained even when you haven’t done much. Over time, ongoing stress might leave you feeling worn out, with brain fog, having trouble focusing, or feeling low on energy. Despite these feelings of lethargy and exhaustion, this can lead to…

Sleep problems and insomnia 

Stress can make it harder to switch off, fall asleep, and stay asleep. When you are feeling particularly stressed, your quality of sleep can drop, you might find it more and more difficult to get to sleep in the first place, and you can even start to dread going to bed altogether.

You might find that your mind feels busy, that you are too tired to fall asleep, or that you have so much on your mind, you get stuck in a loop of replaying the day’s conversations – or thinking about tomorrow’s to-do list. Over time, this poor sleep can make other stress symptoms feel more intense, chipping away at your energy levels even further and impacting your overall resilience, making it even trickier to tackle more stressful situations as they arise.

Why does stress affect your body?

But… if stress starts in the mind, why does it show up physically? Well, stress isn’t just what we think and how we feel – it’s a full-body response. When your brain senses a threat, it can’t tell the difference between a looming deadline and a physical threat; your body switches to fight or flight mode. This triggers the release of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, to help your body prepare to act quickly.

As part of this preparation, your heart may beat faster, breathing may speed up, your muscles tighten, and your digestion slows down – all in preparation to protect you and help you fight or flee from the perceived threat. But when stress becomes ongoing and turns into chronic stress, your body can struggle to switch off this response, leading to a heightened state where physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, skin flare-ups, digestive issues, and sleep problems can, well, become a problem. Your body is responding exactly the way it was designed to. It’s just for longer than it’s meant to. 

So… what can we do to help manage these physical symptoms? And how can we get a handle on chronic stress?

Five ways to manage stress and support your body

While stress is a natural response, you don’t have to simply put up with it. Small, consistent changes can make a real difference to how your body feels. For some people, simple self-care strategies are enough to ease symptoms; for others, having the right support in place can help address the root causes of stress, sharing and building healthier ways of coping to manage current and future stress in new ways. 

The important thing is to remember: There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. There’s no ‘best’ way of overcoming stress. What works for one person might not work for another. It can take time to figure out what feels more supportive for you. And that’s OK!

Here are five approaches that many people find helpful when managing stress and its physical symptoms. Why not consider giving it a try?

Self-care: Learning to look after yourself when stressed

Self-care can feel like a bit of a buzzword at times, but what is it, really? And how’s it supposed to help us? Well, self-care isn’t just about relaxing bubble baths and mindfulness journals (though those can be great ways to take care of yourself). Self-care is about prioritising your mental, physical, and emotional wellness. When you start to practice self-care regularly, it can help you to manage poor mental health, improve your overall wellbeing, and even help you to feel more resilient and able to face unexpected challenges. 

Integrative Therapist and Counselling Directory Member, Andrew Fleming, BA (Hons), MBACP (Accred), recommends prioritising self-care as a simple strategy to help ease stress. “You don’t need to meditate on a mountain or delete all your apps. Small, steady actions can make a real difference. Prioritise self-care. What lifts you even 5%? Music, fresh air, laughter, movement? These moments aren’t indulgent; they’re vital.”

Unsure where to get started? It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Try these simple self-care techniques to help you start nourishing your social life, spend quality time alone, look after your mental, physical, and emotional health, and start putting your wellbeing first. 

Nutrition: Supporting your body through stress

What you eat isn’t just about fueling your body; it can have a wider impact on your mental and physical health. When you’re feeling stressed, food is often one of the first things to slip. You might skip meals, rely on convenience foods, or use caffeine or sugar as a comfort – or a way to get through the day. While that’s completely understandable, what you eat can impact how your body copes with stress.

Stress hormones can affect your blood sugar levels, digestion, and energy. Eating regularly and choosing balanced meals consisting of protein, fibre, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates can help keep your energy levels steady while supporting your nervous system. There are even foods which can negatively impact your body when you feel stressed – including caffeine, alcohol, and foods high in sugar and fats. 

Ensuring you stay hydrated, reducing caffeine if you feel restless or anxious, eating regularly to keep your energy levels up, and eating stress-relieving foods rich in vital nutrients to support your energy and mood like fruit and veg rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, and magnesium, as well as wholegrains and protein-rich foods, can all help to support and fuel your body. It’s not about eating perfectly or following strict rules; think of it more as finding gentle ways to support your body while it’s under pressure.

If you find that stress is affecting your relationship with food, digestion, or energy levels, speaking with a qualified nutrition professional may help. They can work with you to explore your individual needs, helping create a plan that feels realistic and supportive. You can learn more about stress and nutrition, or find a registered professional, via Nutritionist Resource. 

Therapy: Understanding and addressing the root cause

We all experience stress from time to time, but ongoing or overwhelming stress can feel hard to tackle by yourself. Talking therapy can give you the space to share how you are feeling without worrying about being judged by someone outside of your situation. With a therapist or counsellor, you can explore what’s contributing to your stress, how it’s affecting you, and what might help you to cope differently. A therapist can help support you in identifying patterns, setting boundaries, managing stress and anxiety, and developing healthier responses to pressure.

If stress is affecting your sleep, relationships, confidence, or overall wellbeing, therapy can be particularly helpful. It can also help you to better understand why your body reacts the way it does, which, for many people, can be a reassurance in itself. 

If you’re considering this kind of support, you can learn more about stress and how therapy can help, as well as related issues such as insomnia, and search for a qualified therapist near you via Counselling Directory. 

Hypnotherapy: Calming the stress response

When stress starts to feel automatic – like your body is going into overdrive, and you can’t stop it – hypnotherapy is an approach that some people find helpful. Using relaxation techniques to help calm the nervous system, recognise and shift away from unhelpful thought patterns, a hypnotherapist can guide you into a deeply relaxed state to build new responses to stress triggers. Hypnotherapy can be helpful for both stress and a variety of linked symptoms, such as sleep problems, tension, and anxiety-related habits. 

Hypnotherapists can also help introduce you to self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques that you can use in between sessions, or start to use as part of your self-care routine. This can help you to reduce tension and ease stress on a more long-term basis.

Coaching: Building practical tools for change

We can feel stress for a variety of different reasons. Sometimes, stress is linked to feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure what step to take next – whether that’s in your career, relationships, or personal goals. 

Working with a stress coach can help you clarify what’s causing pressure in your life, identify practical, forward-focused strategies, and help you to set goals, strengthen your confidence, and create realistic action plans. If you are experiencing stress linked to work, life transitions, or life direction, coaching can provide structure and accountability, as well as encouragement and support. 

You don’t have to manage stress alone

Stress is a natural part of life – but if it’s started to affect you physically, it could be a sign that something needs to change. Physical symptoms aren’t a sign of weakness or failure. You haven’t done anything wrong.  They are signs that you need a little extra support, to make some small changes, and, with a little self-compassion, things can begin to feel more manageable. You deserve support if stress is taking a toll.

Whether that means making gradual lifestyle adjustments, talking things through with someone outside of the situation (or with someone you know and trust), you don’t have to navigate stress alone. Finding the time and the right approach for you can help you to ease the pressure, in body and mind, helping you to move forward towards a calmer, steadier, less stressed you.