RSRobince Studio

Talking About Stress

Rahul has been quietly stressed for weeks, brushing it off every time someone asks. When Imran notices something's off, Rahul finally puts his feelings into words instead of just saying "main theek hoon."

Rahul, Imran

Key words and phrases

stressed outfeeling great mental or emotional strainHe's been stressed out with deadlines all week.
drainedfeeling completely lacking in energyBy Friday evening, she felt completely drained.
worn outextremely tired, physically or emotionallyHe looked worn out after the long week.
anxiousfeeling worried or nervousHe felt anxious before the big presentation.
emotional wellbeinga person's overall state of mental and emotional healthTalking to someone matters for your emotional wellbeing.
cope withto deal successfully with a difficult situationShe's learning to cope with the pressure at work.
ventingtalking about frustrations in order to release themSometimes I just need to vent to a friend.
bottling upkeeping feelings inside instead of expressing themHe had been bottling up his frustration for months.
mental exhaustionextreme tiredness caused by stress rather than physical workThe mental exhaustion was worse than any physical tiredness.
racing thoughtsa rapid, uncontrollable stream of worried thoughtsHe couldn't sleep because of racing thoughts about work.
get something off your chestto say something that has been worrying you, for reliefHe finally got it off his chest and felt lighter.
weigh on someoneto cause someone ongoing worry or stressThe unfinished project has been weighing on him.
talk it outto discuss a problem openly in order to resolve itThey decided to talk it out over coffee.
a shoulder to lean onsomeone who offers comfort and emotional supportIn hard times, he was always a shoulder to lean on.
keep it togetherto stay calm and composed despite difficultyShe barely managed to keep it together during the meeting.
at breaking pointat the limit of what one can emotionally handleAfter weeks of pressure, he felt he was at breaking point.
lighten the loadto reduce someone's burden or stressTalking to Imran helped lighten the load a little.
let it all outto fully express feelings that have been held inHe finally let it all out in front of his oldest friend.
heavy hearta feeling of sadness or worryShe spoke about the move with a heavy heart.
toss and turnto keep shifting positions in bed, unable to sleepI tossed and turned all night thinking about the deadline.
don't feel like itto have no desire or motivation to do somethingI don't feel like getting out of bed most mornings this week.
confide in someoneto tell a trusted person something privateHe decided to confide in Imran about his stress.

Useful sentences

Dialogue

ImranYou've been quiet all evening. Is something weighing on you?

RahulYeah... honestly, I've been stressed out for weeks and just bottling it up.

ImranWhy didn't you say anything sooner? You know you can talk it out with me.

RahulI guess I didn't want to seem like I couldn't keep it together.

ImranYou don't have to keep it together all the time, you know.

RahulI've had these racing thoughts at night, and I just feel drained all day.

ImranSounds like you're close to your breaking point. Do you want to vent, or just talk it out?

RahulMaybe both. I just need to get this off my chest.

ImranI'm here — you've always been able to confide in me.

RahulThanks. Honestly, just letting it all out already lightens the load.

Common mistakes

Quick quiz

1. What does "bottling up" feelings mean?

2. Complete: "Don't ___, we'll figure it out together."

3. What does "a shoulder to lean on" mean?

4. What does "get something off your chest" mean?

5. Which sentence is most natural?

6. What does "at breaking point" mean?

Practise speaking and listening

The free Day to Day English app turns every lesson into practice with audio, a story you follow and more than 1680 words to learn.

Free for AndroidPractise in the app