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.
Worry and stress idioms
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.”
This is one of many run idioms that is not actually about running in the racing sense.
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 tearing their hair out when they are stressed. But in everyday usage, we use this stress idiom figuratively.
You can also say pull your hair out as another hair idiom with the same meaning.
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! After all this talk of stress, how about some idioms about relaxing next?
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.
