Part 1: Stress Collocations
Collocations are words that naturally go together. Master these to talk about stress and pressure naturally!
Essential Stress Collocations
| Collocation | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mental load | "The mental load is exhausting." | Psychological burden of responsibilities |
| work pressure | "The work pressure is intense." | Stress from job demands |
| overwhelmed | "I feel completely overwhelmed." | Unable to cope with demands |
| chronic stress | "Chronic stress affects your health." | Long-term, ongoing stress |
| stress levels | "My stress levels are through the roof." | Amount of stress experienced |
| breaking point | "I'm at my breaking point." | Limit of what you can handle |
Usage Tips:
Mental load - Modern term for invisible responsibilities
Overwhelmed - Often used with "feel" or "get"
Breaking point - Indicates serious stress level
Practice: Collocations
Exercise 1: Complete the collocations
1. The load is exhausting.
2. The pressure is intense.
3. I feel completely .
4. My levels are high.
5. I'm at my point.
Part 2: Stress Idioms
Idioms are expressions with meanings different from the literal words. These stress idioms are very useful!
Common Stress Idioms:
- At breaking point - Unable to cope anymore
"I'm at breaking point with this workload." - Under the pump - Under pressure (Australian)
"We're really under the pump this week." - Stressed out - Very stressed
"I'm completely stressed out about the exam." - Crack under pressure - Fail when stressed
"Some people crack under pressure." - Juggling too many balls - Managing too many things
"I'm juggling too many balls right now." - Spread too thin - Doing too many things
"I'm spread too thin at work." - On edge - Nervous and irritable
"Everyone's on edge before the deadline." - Wound up - Tense and anxious
"Don't get so wound up about it!"
Practice: Idioms
Exercise 2: Complete the idioms
1. I'm at point.
2. We're under the this week.
3. I'm completely out.
4. I'm spread too at work.
5. Everyone's on today.
Part 3: Stress Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are verbs combined with prepositions or adverbs that create new meanings!
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wind down | Relax after stress | "I need time to wind down after work." |
| pile up | Accumulate (problems/work) | "The work is piling up on my desk." |
| stress out | Become very stressed | "Don't stress out about the presentation." |
| calm down | Become less stressed/angry | "Take a deep breath and calm down." |
| burn out | Become exhausted from overwork | "Many doctors burn out from stress." |
| cope with | Deal with successfully | "How do you cope with the pressure?" |
| break down | Collapse emotionally | "She broke down from the stress." |
| let off steam | Release tension/anger | "I need to let off steam at the gym." |
Practice: Phrasal Verbs
Exercise 3: Complete with the correct phrasal verb
1. I need time to down after work.
2. The work is up on my desk.
3. Don't out about it.
4. How do you with the pressure?
5. I need to let off at the gym.
Excellent! Now you can talk about stress and pressure like a native speaker!