When to Seek Professional Help for Stress?

The 2009 Stress in America Survey by the American Psychological Association indicates that 75 percent of more than 1,500 adults surveyed had experienced moderate to extreme levels of stress within the span of one month. There are times when you can experience a small amount of healthy stress (e.g. at a job interview), but high levels of stress can lead to other problems in a your life.

Anxiety

• An indication that you may need to seek professional help for stress is if you are constantly anxious about situations in your life or you're extremely worried. Normal worry in an individual may last for a short period of time. You should seek professional help for stress if your anxiety and worries are constant for a couple weeks to as long as a month.

Mood

• Seek professional help and treatment for stress if your mood is affected by the constant streee. Irritability that lasts throughout the day, short-tempered anger, and extreme sadness that persists and results in frequent crying episodes are all signs that you need to see a professional.

Basic functioning

• When stress or resulting anxiety affects basic functions in your everyday life, it is time to seek treatment. Examples of how stress could affect your daily life include significant changes in sleeping routine (i.e. lack of sleep), concentration problems, eating habits, and the ability to work successfully on the job.

Physical symptoms

• High levels of constant stress also affect the body's normal functioning. Headaches, upset stomachs, neck and back aches, frequent sweating and fatigue are all symptoms that stress can bring on if not managed effectively.