Racing thoughts, headache, feeling tense or irritable are all familiar signs of stress. But how about less obvious signs like bloating, backache or heartburn?

The reason stress can cause such diverse symptoms is because hormones that regulate the “fight or flight” stress response – like adrenaline and cortisol – influence so many different systems in our body.

“We have cortisol receptors in our brain, gut, muscles, skin, and cardiovascular system – which helps explain why stress has such widespread effects on both body and mind,” says Dr Kayla Steele, clinical psychologist at the Black Dog Institute, the mental health research institute linked to the University of NSW.

“We’re also different in how we experience, or respond to, stress because of our own individual make-up of genetics, ph

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