feeling stressed - you're not alone

NEARLY nine out of 10 Australians are feeling stressed and most blame work for the way they feel, a new poll shows.

Finances, health and personal relationships were also stress factors, a Newspoll commissioned by Lifeline Australia revealed.

But stress levels identified in this year's poll are slightly down on the previous year, with 87 per cent of the 1200 people surveyed this year indicating they were stressed, compared to 91 per cent a year ago.

Four out of 10 people said they experienced "unhealthy" stress levels.

Nearly three-quarters of those who said they were stressed said work was the major contributor.

Money stressed out two-thirds and one in five were "highly stressed" about it.

Interest rate drops and the Federal Government's cash handouts helped to lower financial worries.

Women were more likely to be stressed than men, the poll found.

So too, were people who lived in big cities compared to their country counterparts, except when it came to relationships.

Single people were more likely to be stressed than couples and the more people earned the more stressed they felt.

Lifeline Australia CEO Dawn O'Neil said too many Australians were feeling the pinch.

"We know that small amounts of stress can sometimes help us but ... we are no longer just feeling a little bit of stress," she said.