Stress. It’s everywhere. In everybody. And it causes everything. Or, at least, that’s how it seems to feel these days.

Stress has become such an epidemic that it’s taken over from ‘It’s probably a virus’ as the GP’s catch all diagnosis. It’s so much a part of our lives that it’s entered everyday vocabulary: hence the ubiquitous, if grammatically dodgy, ‘don’t stress’.

The message always seems to be that stress is bad. That’s not always the case, though, and we need to think twice before trying to develop a stress free society.

In fact, some stress is stimulating. If we had no challenges, we’d soon get bored and lose motivation. It’s when we’re over stressed that problems can arise.

The effects are both physical and psychological. Typically, you lose your appetite, get trembly and may lose weight. You might develop stress related illness such as irritable bowel syndrome or tension headaches – or you might find that pre-existing problems, such as asthma or migraine, get worse.

From the psychological perspective, typical symptoms include irritability, difficulty concentrating and insomnia, and some people go on to develop depression. These problems may be aggravated by what docs call ‘maladaptive coping strategies’ – boozing, doing drugs and so on.

So how can you de-stress? Much of the ‘treatment’ is more about common sense than medicine. There are plenty of self help measures you can take.

Simply listing your problems one by one – work, relationships, money and so on - and dealing with them, calmly and logically, is a good start.

The very act of writing them down can be the first step in seeing the wood for the trees. If they impact on others then you may want to involve them in talking about how you’re feeling.

Then there are relaxation techniques. There's loads of books, tapes and CDs are available to teach you how to relax. One trick’s dead simple, though - take more exercise, because this helps burn off excess nervous energy.

And, of course, clean up your lifestyle – cut down the booze, eat sensibly and get enough sleep.

If you’re getting nowhere, don’t be coy about seeing your GP, especially if you’re really not functioning well or you’re getting badly depressed. He can give further advice, or discuss other options such as ‘talking treatments’ or medication.