Many articles, documents and guides that exist about managing stress at work often focus on the problem once it's been identified.

An employee might have sick note from a doctor advising time off due to stress or a counsellor may diagnose it, but what if you're not actually sure if you're stressed, or just temporarily flustered or down?

There is a clinical difference between just feeling a little overwhelmed and down in the dumps compared to bona fide depression, but how can you tell? Or do you even suffer from unconscious stress - where you feel that you're coping but your body is screaming at you that you're not?

Stress at work will manifest itself in a variety of signs, some of them emotional and some physical - some not obvious at all (bursting into tears is quite apparent, but what about tics or other habits that may be physical manifestations of a deeper problem?). In order to help you decide whether your level of stress is too much, here are the typical emotional and physical signs that you might be stressed at work:

Emotional signs

There are the obvious indicators, such as feeling anxious, upset or depressed for what appears to be no good reason, or feeling generally overwhelmed. However there are other knock-on effects of stress that you may not recognise at first.

If you are uncharacteristically grumpy or irritated with your colleagues and you're not sure why, this could be caused by the hormonal influx of stress. An inability to concentrate as well as you normally do is also another sign, as is finding decision making more difficult and wearing than usual.

We all have these difficulties from time to time - a little pressure at work often motivates us, after all - but if they are affecting your work life adversely for a long time then it's time to get a proper diagnosis of stress in order to start to think about treatment.

Physical signs

Some of the signs of stress mimic other illnesses such as the common cold or the general feeling of "coming down with something". Headaches are a primary symptom of stress, the same goes for sleep problems such as insomnia - lying awake thinking about work is generally not very good for you, and it means that you're taking your work home in an adverse way.

If you smoke or drink, you may know if you're stressed because if an increased need or worsening dependency on these things to just 'get through the day'. This is a prime example of when mental stress starts to harm us physically.

People with skin problems such as psoriasis or exema may notice an increased or more severe attack of it when they are stressed, as the body's immune system goes into full swing and can't cope with everything happening at once. Another classic sign is being generally 'fidgety', playing with your hair, biting your nails or other habitual tics.

If you are suffering from a handful of these symptoms, whether emotional or physical, it may be time to admit that you may be stressed out at work, and might even need some time off.

A word with your manager or your GP will help to confirm the next step forward in better managing your stress, or you could take a stress-management course. Either way - stress is something not to be ignored. It costs millions in the workplace, but can be prevented or at least recognised and treated in many cases.