Collocations are words that naturally go together. Master these to talk about stress and pressure naturally!
| 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 |
Mental load - Modern term for invisible responsibilities
Overwhelmed - Often used with "feel" or "get"
Breaking point - Indicates serious stress level
Idioms are expressions with meanings different from the literal words. These stress idioms are very useful!
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." |
😰 Excellent! Now you can talk about stress and pressure like a native speaker!