Phrases with the word stress

• to stress (see also)

• stress

Connected phrases:

Video Transcript
Section 1
Hey there I’m Emma from mmmEnglish! There are a lot of reasons why our stress levels have been on the rise lately. Our lives are incredibly busy, full of information, ambition, problems and challenges to overcome.

For me, for you, for all of us, it is so important to recognise stress and to try and manage it. It’s also really important to talk about it with others and so that is exactly what this lesson is gonna focus on, thirteen common English expressions to talk about stress. So get your pens out, get ready to take some notes.

I really want you to be thinking about how these expressions could apply to your life. I’ll be sharing idioms, verbs, phrases to help you explain and express stress so let’s get into it.

If you stop by my channel often, take a quick moment to hit that subscribe button down there, that would be so lovely of you. Plus, that’s the way that you’ll see all of my lessons. I make new ones every week and by subscribing, you’ll see them pop up in your feed here on Youtube.

Like I said earlier, we all live pretty busy lives. We work, study, family, responsibility, not enough money, not enough time, not enough sleep. All of these things.

I’m certain that you have felt stressed at some point. If not today, then yesterday or last week or maybe a few months ago and this is how we describe people when they’re tired, anxious or grumpy because they just have too much going on.

1. stressed /strest/ (adj)

We can feel stressed.
We can look stressed.
We can be stressed.

And it’s stressed. So I know that it’s really odd to pronounce -ed as a T sound but that’s a really common feature of English pronunciation. When the consonant before -ed is an unvoiced sound. This is an unvoiced sound so -ed is then pronounced. Stressed.

This is true for the adjective and also for the past tense form of the verb ‘stress’ and I’ve got a whole pronunciation lesson about this actually, about past tense regular verbs. You can watch it up here if you’re interested to learn a bit more about it.

But it’s also really common to hear “stressed out” and stressed out means exactly the same thing, the phrases are really interchangeable. Stressed. Stressed out.

• I’m always stressed out at the end of the month when our accounts are due.
• Are you doing okay? You look a bit stressed.

2. (something) stresses (one) out

What’s stressing you out? What is it that is stressing you out?

We use this phrase in the past and the present to talk about what’s causing stress, what creates stress.

• For me, traffic always stresses me out.
• Being in such a big crowd yesterday stressed me out.
• You’re stressing me out!
• I don’t want to do it because I know it will stress me out.

So did you notice how with all of those examples, I was using them across tenses? It’s a really useful expression to remember, to try and put into use.

3. (to be) burnt out / burnout

Another synonym to describe how you’re feeling when you’re stressed is to be or to feel burnt out. So when you’re really tired and you’re stressed because you’ve been working hard for way too long, you don’t have any energy left to do anything else, that’s when you’re burnt out.

• By the end of final exams, both the teachers and the students are completely burnt out.

And you also hear the noun ‘burnout’ used for that complete exhaustion.

You always want to try and avoid burnout right by taking time off and relaxing a little. I feel like I’ve just created this whole lesson to offer advice to myself.

• Try to avoid burnout. Don’t get stressed out.

4. a lot on (one’s) mind

Now when you’re worried about lots of things you know you’re thinking about them all the time, it’s really distracting. You can’t focus and you’re really mentally tired. That is when you have a lot on your mind.

Okay so you know if you forget something really important or you find yourself not listening or not paying attention to someone who’s talking to you, then this can be a really good way to excuse yourself.

• Don’t take what he said personally. He’s got so much on his mind at the moment. I’m sure he’s just really stressed out.

5. a lot/too much on (one’s) plate

So a similar expression is ‘to have a lot’ or ‘too much on your plate’. So think about going to a buffet right and you’ve got your plate, you load up so much stuff onto that plate. There’s lots of delicious things that you want to try but you overdo it and everything starts spilling off the sides of the plate right.

So if someone asks you to do something extra, you know, on top of everything else you’ve got to do that day, you might even say

• I’m sorry, I can’t do it. I’ve just got too much on my plate right now.
• Are you sure you want to volunteer at the local church? You’ve already got so much on your plate.

6. (to be) under pressure + to do (something)

So again, when you feel stressed because you’ve got too much to do or too many responsibilities, you’re under pressure.

Okay you can use this phrase on its own without any further explanation. You can say

• I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I think he’s under a lot of pressure at work.

You don’t need to explain more detail or you can be more specific and include an action. You can say ‘under pressure to do something’ you know to explain what is creating that stress and pressure.

• He’s under pressure to get board approval by Wednesday.

It’s also really common to hear that someone put another person under pressure.

• My boss has put me under a lot of pressure to present the results by Friday. I just don’t think we can do it.

Do you feel under any pressure at the moment? Is someone putting you under pressure? Tell me about it down in the comments below.

7. (to be) under the pump

Okay so this is very similar to ‘under pressure’ but perhaps a little less formal right. If you’re under the pump, it usually means that you have a specific task that you need to do and there’s a limited amount of time that you have to finish it in so there’s urgency right? It’s not just that you have a lot of work to do but you also have a limited amount of time to get it done.

• I won’t be home by five tonight. I’m under the pump to get this report finished today.

8. (to) burn the candle at both ends

This expression has some great imagery. What happens if you burn a candle at both ends? Very quickly, there won’t be any candle left, right?

So if you’re waking up early, going to bed late in order to get more work done, then you are probably in order to get more work done, then you are probably feeling exhausted and very quickly, you’ll completely run out of energy and enthusiasm to get the task done right.

So this expression is great for when you are doing a lot, you’re still coping but right now you know that you can’t continue to work at this rate for much longer, right? You’re burning the candle at both ends.

• Please try to take it easy over the weekend. I’m worried you’re burning the candle at both ends and we need you to perform at Monday’s meeting.

9. (to) run/work (oneself) into the ground

This is definitely not a good scenario when you overload your schedule and trying to finish everything but you completely exhaust yourself. You burn yourself out by working too hard.

That’s when you’re working yourself into the ground. Or you could say you’re running yourself into the ground, it’s the same thing.

And interestingly this expression is usually reflexive so the subject and the object are the same. We say

• I ran myself into the ground.
• He worked himself into the ground.
• I know I got sick because I worked myself into the ground.

10. (to be) at breaking point

And that’s when you’re at breaking point. And that’s when you’re at breaking point. Oh no, you can tell that things are getting worse by the second here right?

This is bad when you’ve reached breaking point. It’s that moment when the build-up of stress is so big inside of you that you break. For me, this usually ends up in a whole lot of tears and stressful crying.

Can you think of the last time that you were at breaking point? Hopefully, it’s not too recently or it doesn’t happen too often but have you ever been at breaking point? Let me know about it.

11. (to) come apart at the seams

This is another really fun idiom to imagine. So imagine a stuffed toy, one that’s been loved for many years. He’s very worn out and the seams, the stitching starts to come undone, the stitching starts to come undone, and the stuffing starts to come out. You know that he’s not going to last for much longer right, eventually, the whole thing falls apart and that is the feeling behind this phrase.

Everything is falling apart. Everything’s going wrong.

• Our customer complaints are up thirty per cent since our manager resigned. Everything is coming apart at the seams.

So you can use this expression in your home life, personal relationships and also at work as well. It’s really versatile.

12. (to) snap

This is a really great verb, it’s a reaction to being stressed or under pressure right. So stress sometimes causes us to lose control and we snap. In an instant, we’re not our normal selves, we’re annoyed, we’re frustrated, we’re angry.

And if we snap at someone, we yell at them usually without warning, usually it’s quite unfair.

• Stop watching TV! You’ve done nothing else all day.

That was me snapping at you because I’m stressed out.

• I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’ve just had a really long day.

And an even more aggressive response would be…

13. (to) bite (someone’s) head off

Sounds dangerous. Of course, it’s not a literal expression but it’s a great way to say that someone’s really freaked out and lost control because of stress.

They’re annoyed, they’re frustrated, they yelled at someone who was probably innocent and not asking for it. And it’s like whoa, okay, calm down.

• My boss basically bit my head off when I tried to ask for an extension! It was a bit unreasonable.

So I hope that this lesson wasn’t too stressful for you and that you did learn a few new and interesting expressions that you’re able to practise and explore this week.

Now I know that I shouldn’t be getting you excited about seeing someone stressed but try to look out for this type of behaviour this week. You know if you see your boss or a family member stressed out about something see if you can apply some of these expressions you know.

Keep a notepad handy, a journal, just write them down. If you’re feeling stressed as well, it’s actually good stress relief to write down and to vent and to let all these things go but try to use some of these expressions as you do.

And for your final challenge today, I want you to choose three of the idioms or expressions that I shared in today’s lesson and write a short paragraph using them down in the comments below this video.

I’m going to come down, check them out and give you some feedback if you need it very soon. Thank you for joining me. Like I said, I hope I didn’t stress you out or you’re not too stressed but it is important to be able to talk about how you’re feeling right.

Make sure you check back for new videos full of everyday useful English expressions just like these ones. I will see you in the next one. Bye for now!

Spotlight 11, Modules 2A, 2B

Study the words/phrases and their meanings

• mount ― increase
• run-up ― period of time just before an event
• lowdown ― important information
• in a nutshell ― basically
• keep you on your toes ― cause you to remain alert/ready
• in the long term ― over a long period of time
• out of hand ― uncontrollable

• lighten the load ― make a difficult situation better
• grin and bear it ― accept it without complaining
• overwhelmed ― unable to manage
• keep things in perspective ― judge how important something really is
• pull your hair out ― go crazy

Collocations 2 a

• 1. be under a lot of stress
• lose control
• 2 . cope with pressure
• Take it easy
• 3. get off the chest
• break up with
• 4. be up to one’s eyes
• 5 take the stress
• hurt/harm
• 6. cause stress
• 7. be killing smb.
• be over

• Break sth down
• Build up
• Deal with
• Get at
• Give away
• Give back
• Give over
• Speed up
• Take on
• Take up

Vocabulary ex. 6 p.28

1 sick and tired of: extremely bored of …

2 get smb down: depress

3 can’t take it any more: the pressure is too much for

4 get things out of proportion: exaggerate

5 lose temper: suddenly become angry

6 feel the strain of: come under pressure from

7 building up: gradually increasing

8 give a hard time: cause problems for smb

Body language

• Shake
• Clench
• Shrug
• Fold
• Blush
• Stamp
• Tremble
• Tap
• Snarl
• Stammer
• Whisper
• Sigh
• Groan

• head in disbelief
• fists (teeth) angrily
• shoulders indifferently
• arms and wait
• with embarrassment
• feet angrily
• In fear
• fingers nervously

Angry

Nervous

Scared

Relieved

Agonized (in agony)

HOW TO DE -STRESS ???

Action

• If you have too many things to do, break tasks down into smaller ones and deal with them in order of priority.
• Give up an after school activity for a while.
• Ask your friends or relatives to help you lighten the load.

Cope with it…

• Do something relaxing
• Get enough sleep, exercise and eat regular nutritious meals.
• Keep a sense of humour and a positive attitude.
• Don’t let your problems rule your life!

Bear it..

• Learn how to control your thoughts and emotions. When overwhelmed, take slow and deep breaths and count to ten.
• Analyse the problem rationally.
• Keep things in perspective!
• Don’t be too dramatic!

Study Vocabulary 2B

• To resist peer pressure
• To stand up for
• To give in
• To influence smb.
• To encourage
• To discourage
• To bump into
• To be odd out
• It’s no big deal
• It’s your loss!
• Suit yourself!

• Commit a crime
• Tell a lie
• Make smb. feel guilty
• To pick on smb.
• To regret smth.
• To make smb. V
• To be a bad/good influence on smb.
• To miss the lessons
• To fit in with …
• To dissuade
• To persuade

Make up a dialogue using these phrases:

Negative feelings

Sympathizing & encouraging

• I’m fed up!

• I’m ready to explode!

• I’m just going mad!

• I can’t stand/bear any more!

• I’m losing control/ my temper!

• Cheer up! Things can’t be that bad!
• I’m sorry to hear that, but everything will be all right!
• Take it easy! Things will get better.

When you’re feeling stressed or worried, it can help to have the right words to express your emotions. This list of stress idioms features some common English expressions with definitions and examples.

You can use these idioms to talk about stressful situations and express your feelings at times when you’re under pressure. We hope they help you expand your English vocabulary and become more confident in your communication.

Stressed out

This is top of our list of idioms about stress because it’s the most common expression used to talk about this feeling. When you are under pressure from a stressful situation you may say that you’re feeling stressed out or even just stressed.

“I’m so stressed out trying to organize everything for my wife’s surprise birthday party.”
“You look stressed, why don’t you get a massage?”

This phrase can be used actively too, if you state the cause of your stress:

“Preparing for the presentation next week is stressing me out.”
“Tammy orders groceries online because going to a supermarket stresses her out.”

Have a lot on your plate

If you have a lot on your plate, you have a great deal (or too much) to cope with.

“Could we have dinner together another time? I’ve got a lot on my plate at the moment.”

Run / work yourself into the ground

When you do so much that you become unable to do anything well, we say that you have run or worked yourself into the ground.

“You’ll run yourself into the ground if you keep working 12 hours a day.”

Lose sleep over something

If something is causing you great stress or anxiety, you may find you lose sleep over it. This can mean that it is literally stopping you from sleeping, or just that it is making you worry a lot.

“I’m losing sleep over trying to decide which school to send our son to. It’s such an important decision.”
“Don’t worry too much; it’s not worth losing sleep over it.”

As you can see above, this stress idiom may be used in a negative sense as well, often when giving advice. See some more idioms about sleep here.

At a loss

Someone who is at a loss is perplexed or confused. This idiom can also express a state of exasperation in a stressful situation.

“I’m at a loss as to how the chicken ended up in the washing machine!”

At the end of your rope/tether

If you are exasperated and out of patience then you may say that you are at the end of your rope or tether.

“This report is so complicated; I’m at the end of my tether trying to understand it.”

At your wits’ end

If you are at your wits’ end, you are at the limits of your mental resources and don’t know how to proceed.

“I’ve been at my wits’ end all afternoon!”

This is one of many Biblical idioms that we use in English.

Come apart at the seams

When someone comes apart at the seams, they are very upset and about to lose control or have a breakdown.

“We thought Julian was going to come apart at the seams when he lost his job, but actually he took the news well.”

The idiom come apart can also be used to talk about sadness or grief.

A weight / load off your mind

If you’re able to relieve yourself of some worry or stress then you may say it’s a weight or load off your mind.

“I’m so glad I’ve been able to talk to you about this; it’s really taken a weight off my mind.”

Tear your hair out

To tear your hair out means to be very upset or distressed over something.

“I’ve been tearing my hair out over this presentation all morning!”

Sometimes in cartoons, characters are pictured literally tearing their hair out when they are stressed. But in everyday usage, we use this stress idiom figuratively.

Up to your neck

If you’re up to your neck in something (or doing something), you’re fully immersed in and occupied by it. This phrase suggests that you don’t have time for anything else.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call you back yesterday; I’ve been up to my neck organising my son’s birthday party.”
“My husband is up to his neck in paperwork trying to sort out his taxes.”

Check out some more body idioms here if you’re interested.

Worried sick / sick with worry

This idiom about worry just means you are extremely worried. Sometimes it may actually make you feel unwell or make you lose your appetite, but you can use worried sick even if the situation is not making you feel physically ill.

“Jessie has been sick with worry since her dog went missing. I hope he turns up soon.”

At breaking point

Breaking point is the point at which a machine, organization or system ceases to function because it is overworked or put under too much strain. This stress idiom can also apply to a person.

“The company is at breaking point because the owners aren’t investing enough in staff training and wellbeing.”
“I feel like our marriage is at breaking point. We can’t go on like this.”

In situations like this you might need some more idioms about bad things happening.

Take it out on someone

This stress idiom means that you are treating someone badly because you are feeling stressed about another situation. Before using the phrase take it out on someone, you should first give some context about the cause of your stress.

“Everything seems to be going wrong at work and I realized I’m taking it out on my family when I get home.”
“The divorce has been really stressful but I’m trying not to take it out on my kids.”

You may find that you have a short fuse when you are stressed. Read our list of anger idioms to find out what that means.

Don’t know whether you’re coming or going

If you are so stressed or exhausted that feel like you have lost control of a situation or can’t think clearly, you might say you don’t know whether you’re coming or going.

“I have had so many sleepless nights with our newborn baby, I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. I left the car keys in the fridge yesterday!”

And that concludes this list of idioms about stress, worry and anxiety. We hope you found them useful, but also that you don’t need to use them too often! You might also be interested in how we use colors to describe people’s emotions in English.

Leave a comment below if you can think of any others that deserve a mention here.

The stress placed on syllables within words is
called word stress or lexical
stress. The stress placed on words
within sentences is called sentence
stress or prosodic
stress. 

Sentence stress is a greater prominence of words which are made more
prominent in the international group. The prominence of accented
words is achieved through the greater force of utterance and changes
in the direction of voice pitch.

Stress in utterance provide the basis for understanding the content,
they help to perform constitutive, distinctive, indemnificatory
function of intonation.

Word stress is definitely the key to understanding spoken English and
it is used so naturally by native speakers of the English language
that they are not even aware they are doing it. When non native
speakers talk to English natives without the use of word stress they
are likely to encounter two problems: 

1. The listener will find it difficult to understand the fast
speaking native.

2. The native speakers may find it difficult to understand the non
native speakers.

Any word spoken in isolation has at least one prominent syllable. We
perceive it as stressed. Stress in the isolated word is termed word
stress, stress in connected speech is termed sentence stress. Stress
is indicated by placing a stress mark before the stressed syllable.

Stress is defined differently by different
authors. B. A. Bogoroditsky,

for instance, defined stress as an
increase of energy, accompanied by an

increase of expiratory and
articulatory activity. D. Jones defined stress as

the degree of
force, which is accompanied by a strong force of exhala­

tion
and gives an impression of loudness. H.
Sweet also stated that stress

is
connected with the force of breath.

Word stress can be defined as the singling out of one or more
sylla­bles in a word, which is accompanied by the change of the
force of utterance, pitch of the voice, qualitative and quantitative
characteristics of the sound, which is usually a vowel.

1. Theories of syllable formation and syllable division.

The syllable is a complicated phenomenon and like
a phoneme it can be studied on four levels — articulatory, acoustic,
auditory and functional.
The complexity of the phenomenon gave rise to many theories.

We could start with the so-called expiratory
(chest pulse or pressure) theory by R.H. Stetson.
This theory is based on the assumption that expiration in speech is a
pulsating process and each syllable should correspond to a single
expiration. So the number of syllables in an utterance is determined
by the number of expirations made in the production of the utterance.
This theory was strongly criticized by Russian and foreign linguists.
G.P. Torsuyev,
for example, wrote that in a phrase a number of words and
consequently a number of syllables can be pronounced with a single
expiration. This fact makes the validity of the theory doubtful.

Another theory of syllable put forward by O.
Jespersen is generally called the
sonority theory.
According to O. Jespersen, each sound is characterized by a certain
degree of sonority which is understood us acoustic property of a
sound that determines its perceptibility. According to V.A.
Vassilyev the most serious drawback of
this theory is that it fails to explain the actual mechanism of
syllable formation and syllable division. Besides, the concept of
sonority is not very clearly defined.

Further experimental work aimed to description of
the syllable resulted in lot of other theories. However the question
of articulatory mechanism of syllable in a still an open question in
phonetics. We might suppose that this mechanism is similar in all
languages and could be regarded as phonetic universal.

In Russian linguistics there has been adopted
the theory of syllable by LV Shcherba.
It is called the theory of muscular tension. In most languages there
is the syllabic phoneme in the centre of the syllable which is
usually a vowel phoneme or, in some languages, a sonorant. The
phonemes preceding or following the syllabic peak are called
marginal. The tense of articulation increases within the range of
prevocalic consonants and then decreases within the range of
postvocalic consonants.

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