← Horizons B2 B2 Arabic

4B Grammar

Mental wellbeing

Unit 4

I CAN report what people said about their feelings
I CAN listen for reported speech

Grammar

10 cards

When we talk about things people said in the past, we often use reported speech. Instead of repeating someone's exact words, we tell another person what they said. Reported speech is especially useful when we discuss feelings and wellbeing, because we often need to share what friends, family, colleagues or doctors have told us.

The most important change in reported speech is the verb tense shift. Verbs in the present move to the past, and verbs in the past move to the past perfect. Pronouns, time expressions and places usually change too. The meaning of the original sentence stays the same.

The basic pattern with reporting verbs

Direct speech	Reported speech	Reporting verb
'I am feeling stressed.'	She said (that) she was feeling stressed.	say
'I can't sleep.'	He told me (that) he couldn't sleep.	tell
'I was feeling anxious.'	She mentioned that she had been feeling anxious.	mention
'I have been working too hard.'	He explained that he had been working too hard.	explain
'I feel much better.'	She admitted (that) she felt much better.	admit
'I need help.'	He complained that he needed help.	complain

Notice that we use say when there is no person object after it, but we use tell when we mention who we spoke to. We can also use mention, explain, admit, complain and claim to add meaning about the way something was said. For advice we use advise, and for offers we use offer.

Tense backshift: the most important rules

Tense in direct speech	Tense in reported speech	Example
Present simple (am / is / are / work)	Past simple (was / were / worked)	'I work too hard.' → He said he worked too hard.
Present continuous (am working)	Past continuous (was working)	'I'm sleeping badly.' → She said she was sleeping badly.
Past simple (worked)	Past perfect (had worked)	'I worked late.' → He said he had worked late.
Will	Would	'It will get better.' → She said it would get better.
Can	Could	'I can cope.' → He said he could cope.
Must	Had to	'I must rest.' → She said she had to rest.

Pronouns also change: I → he / she, we → they, my → his / her, you → I / me (depending on the situation). Time words often change too: today → that day, yesterday → the day before, now → then, tomorrow → the next day, ago → before.

Reporting questions

With yes/no questions, we use if or whether and the word order becomes normal - we remove the auxiliary inversion. With wh- questions, we keep the question word.

Direct question	Reported question
'Are you feeling better?'	She asked if I was feeling better.
'Do you need help?'	He asked whether I needed help.
'How are you coping?'	She asked how I was coping.
'What did the doctor say?'	He asked what the doctor had said.
'Why are you crying?'	She asked why I was crying.

The word 'that'

'That' is optional in reported statements. The meaning is the same with or without it. In formal writing, 'that' is usually kept; in conversation, we often drop it. 'He said he was exhausted' and 'He said that he was exhausted' are both correct.

Common reporting verbs for feelings

claim - to say something that may not be true: He claimed he was fine, but he wasn't.
admit - to say something difficult or embarrassing: She admitted she was struggling.
deny - to say something is not true: He denied feeling anxious.
complain - to say you are unhappy: She complained that her job was stressful.
explain - to give reasons: He explained that he was burned out.
mention - to say briefly: She mentioned feeling tired.

In the next steps you will look at model sentences, notice the pattern, and then practise using these structures yourself.

Generating translation…

He said he was feeling completely overwhelmed.

Note the backshift: 'I am' becomes 'he was' after 'said'.

She told me she couldn't sleep because she was so anxious.

Note 'told me' (with the person object) and 'could' (backshifted from 'can').

Required

Look at the two sentences above. What tense is the main verb after 'said' and 'told me'?

Present simple
Past simple
Future
Present perfect

Required

She said she ___ (feel) really anxious before the meeting.

Required

He told me he ___ (not / sleep) well for weeks.

Required

Which reporting verb do we use when we mention the person we spoke to?

say
tell
mention
explain

Required

She asked ___ I was okay.

Required

In reported speech, the present simple 'I work' changes to the past simple 'he worked'.

Required

Put the words in the correct order to make a reported speech sentence.

said
she
feeling
stressed
was
She

Listening

5 cards

In this section, you will hear a short conversation between two friends, Tom and Emma. They are talking on the phone. Emma has just spoken to their mutual friend Mia, who has been having a difficult time at work and with her mental health. Tom is asking Emma what Mia said.

Before you listen

Before you hear the conversation, think about these questions:

What feelings might a person share when they are overworked?
What advice might a friend offer?
What reported speech verbs might you hear: said, told, asked, mentioned, explained, admitted, complained, offered?

The conversation uses reported speech throughout. Tom and Emma report what Mia said, what Mia's manager said and what the doctor said. Listening carefully to the reporting verbs will help you understand who said what.

What to listen for

Pay attention to three things:

The reporting verb - is it said, told, asked, mentioned, or explained? This tells you who is reporting whom.
The tense of the verb after the reporting verb - is it past simple, past continuous, or past perfect? This is the backshifted tense.
The feeling words - look out for anxious, stressed, exhausted, overwhelmed, content, better, calmer. These are the actual words Mia or others used.

Strategy for listening to reported speech

When you hear reported speech, mentally identify the reporting verb first ('She said...'), then identify who is being reported ('...she...'), then catch the key information ('...was feeling anxious.'). This three-step approach makes reported speech much easier to understand at speed.

If you miss a word, do not panic - focus on the feeling words and the reporting verbs. These are usually the most important parts of the message.

Types of questions

After you listen, you will answer three questions:

Gist - the main idea of the conversation: what is the conversation mainly about?
Specific information - one particular detail: what did Mia say about her feelings or her work?
Detail fill - you complete a sentence with a missing word or phrase.

All the questions are answerable from the conversation alone. You will not need any other information. In the next step, you will hear the conversation, then answer the questions.

الـ Listening ده عن إيه؟

في الجزء ده، هتسمع محادثة بين اتنين أصحاب، Tom و Emma، بيكلموا في التليفون عن صاحبتهم المشتركة Mia. Mia عندها مشكلة في شغلها الجديد، و Emma بتقول لـ Tom إن Mia حكت لها إيه. المحادثة كلها مكتوبة بـ reported speech — يعني الناس بيحكوا لبعض كلام حد تاني قاله.

إيه هو الـ Reported Speech؟

الـ reported speech هو لما تاخد كلام حد قاله وتعيده بكلامك أنت. في المحادثة دي، Emma بتعيد كلام Mia، فبتستخدم verbs معينة عشان تقول مين قال إيه. أهم الـ reporting verbs اللي هتسمعها:

said — "She said she can't sleep."
told — "She told me she's been feeling anxious."
asked — "Did she say she was thinking of leaving?"
mentioned — "She mentioned that she had been thinking about it."
explained — "She explained that her new job is extremely stressful."
complained — "She complained that the deadlines are impossible."

لاحظ إن said و told و explained و complained كلهم بييجوا بعدهم الـ object أو الـ that-clause اللي فيها الكلام نفسه.

الـ Tenses اللي محتاج تركز عليها

لما تسمع reporting verb، لازم تركز على الـ tense اللي بعده. في المحادثة دي هتلاقي:

Present Perfect بعد told: "She told me she's been feeling really anxious lately." — الوصف لسه شغال دلوقتي.
Past Simple بعد complained: "She complained that the deadlines are impossible." — ده الـ backshifted tense العادي.
Past Perfect Continuous بعد mentioned: "She mentioned that she had been thinking about it." — ده أبعد في الماضي.

كلمات الـ Feelings اللي تسمعها

ركّز على الكلمات دي عشان هي اللي هتساعدك تفهم Mia حاسة بإيه:

anxious — قلقانة ومتوترة
stressed — مضغوطة من الشغل
exhausted — مرهقة جدًا
overwhelmed — مش قادرة تستحمل كل حاجة
content — راضية وحالها أحسن

نصيحة قبل ما تسمع

قبل ما تدوس play، فكّر في السؤالين دول: إيه اللي واحد ممكن يشتكي منه لما بيكون overworked؟ وإيه النصيحة اللي صاحب ممكن يقدمها؟ بعدين اسمع، وحاول تمسك الـ reporting verb الأول، وبعدين مين بيتكلم عنه، وبعدين الـ information المهمة. لو فاتتك كلمة، متقلقش — ركّز على الـ feeling words والـ reporting verbs، دول أهم حاجة في الرسالة.

Tom calls Emma to ask about their mutual friend Mia. Emma has just spoken to Mia and reports what Mia told her. Listen carefully to the reporting verbs (said, told, explained, mentioned) and the feeling words.

E
Emma Hi Tom, have you spoken to Mia recently?
T
Tom No, I haven't. How is she?
E
Emma She told me she's been feeling really anxious lately. She said she can't sleep.
T
Tom That's worrying. Did she explain why?
E
Emma She explained that her new job is extremely stressful. She complained that the deadlines are impossible.
T
Tom Did she say she was thinking of leaving?
E
Emma She mentioned that she had been thinking about it, but she also said she needed the salary.
T
Tom I see. I should call her too. Thanks for letting me know.

Required

What is the conversation mainly about?

Emma's new job
Mia's mental health and work situation
Tom's holiday plans
A new restaurant in town

Required

How did Emma say Mia was feeling?

Excited and happy
Anxious and unable to sleep
Tired but content
Angry and frustrated with Tom

Required

Mia ___ (said / explained / asked) that her new job is extremely stressful.

Pronunciation

6 cards

English has two sounds that are spelled with the letter combination 'th', and they are very different. Many other languages do not have these sounds, so they are important to practise carefully. Both sounds appear often in mental wellbeing vocabulary and in reported speech, so mastering them will make your English clearer and easier to understand.

The sound /ð/ - 'voiced th'

This is the voiced 'th' sound. Your vocal cords vibrate when you say it. To make this sound:

Place the tip of your tongue lightly between your teeth, or just behind your upper front teeth.
Let the air flow over the sides of your tongue.
You should feel a buzzing in your throat and a slight vibration on your tongue.
Your mouth is mostly relaxed - do not round your lips.

Common words with /ð/: the, that, this, they, them, there, then, than, though, with, brother, mother, other, another, weather, either, although

The sound /θ/ - 'voiceless th'

This is the voiceless 'th' sound. Your vocal cords do not vibrate - it is just air. The tongue position is the same, but you push air out in a thin, steady stream.

Place your tongue in the same position as for /ð/.
Push air out gently between your tongue and teeth.
Hold your hand in front of your mouth - you should feel a small puff of air.
Hold your hand on your throat - you should not feel any buzzing.

Common words with /θ/: think, thought, thank, thing, three, through, therapy, health, breath, both, growth, north, south, month, math, athlete, sympathy, depth

Comparing the two

/ð/ (voiced)	/θ/ (voiceless)
the	thing
this	thin
then	than
there	three
they	thought
brother	breath
other	both
although	athlete

A quick test: hold your hand in front of your mouth. For /θ/, you will feel a small burst of air. For /ð/, you will not feel much air, but you will feel vibration if you touch your throat.

Why this matters for mental wellbeing

These sounds appear often in vocabulary for this lesson:

In reported speech markers: the, that, they, them, then - 'She said that they were feeling stressed.'
In mental health words: therapy, thoughts, health, breathing, both (mental and physical health), thanks (gratitude), growth (personal growth).
In common questions: 'What are you feeling?' 'How are you?' 'Thank you for listening.'

A common mistake is to replace /θ/ with /t/ (saying 'tree' instead of 'three') or /s/ (saying 'sink' instead of 'think'). Another common mistake is to replace /ð/ with /d/ (saying 'dis' instead of 'this') or /z/ (saying 'zey' instead of 'they'). Mastering both sounds will make your English clearer, more natural and easier to understand. In the next steps, you will hear the difference between the two sounds, identify them, and practise saying key words.

Generating translation…

/ð/ = voiced 'th'. Tongue tip between teeth, vocal cords vibrate, you feel buzzing. Words: the, that, this, they, them, brother. /θ/ = voiceless 'th'. Tongue tip between teeth, no vibration, you feel a puff of air. Words: think, thought, thank, therapy, health, breath.

Required

Which word did you hear?

thought
taught

Required

Say the word. Put your tongue between your teeth and let it vibrate. Focus on the voiced /ð/.

this

Required

Say the word. Put your tongue between your teeth and push air out gently. Focus on the voiceless /θ/.

therapy

Required

Say the short sentence. Notice the voiced /ð/ in 'they' and 'the', and the voiceless /θ/ in 'thought' and 'therapy'.

they thought the therapy helped

Speaking

7 cards

When we discuss mental wellbeing with friends, colleagues or professionals, we often need to report what other people have said. We might say things like 'She told me she was feeling anxious' or 'He said he couldn't sleep'. This is a key skill in real conversations, and it is the focus of this section.

Useful reporting phrases for feelings

Function	Example
Reporting a general statement	She said (that) she was feeling overwhelmed.
Reporting to a specific person	He told me (that) he couldn't cope.
Reporting a yes/no question	She asked if I was okay.
Reporting a wh- question	He asked how I was feeling.
Reporting advice	The doctor advised me to rest more.
Reporting an offer	My friend offered to listen.
Reporting a complaint	He complained that he was working too hard.
Reporting an admission	She admitted (that) she felt exhausted.
Reporting what someone wanted	He said he wanted to take a break.
Reporting what someone was doing	She mentioned that she had been meditating.

How to structure your answer

A good reported speech sentence has six parts:

Reporting verb (said / told / mentioned / explained / admitted / asked)
Object (if needed: me / him / her / us / them)
That / if / wh- word (often optional in speech)
Subject (often he / she / they)
Verb in past tense (backshifted)
Feeling or detail

Example: 'She told me (that) she had been feeling anxious since the project started.'

Tips for natural delivery

Intonation: it falls at the end of reported statements and rises at the end of reported questions. This helps the listener know whether you are reporting a statement or a question.
Pausing: pause briefly after the reporting verb: 'She said... she was tired.' This makes your speech clearer.
Contractions: use them in speech. 'She said she'd been feeling stressed' sounds more natural than 'She said she had been feeling stressed.'
Time references: keep them consistent with the new situation. If you are reporting on Monday about something someone said on Sunday, use 'yesterday' → 'the day before', 'tomorrow' → 'the next day'.

Useful reporting verbs for emotions

Instead of always using 'said', choose a verb that shows how the person spoke:

admitted - they were reluctant but honest: She admitted she was struggling.
complained - they were unhappy: He complained that the workload was unfair.
confessed - they shared something difficult: He confessed that he felt burned out.
denied - they said it was not true: She denied feeling anxious, but her voice was shaking.
insisted - they were firm: He insisted he was fine, but he didn't look it.
revealed - they shared a secret: She revealed that she had been seeing a therapist.

What you will do in this section

You will hear a short model conversation between two people reporting what their friends said about their feelings.
You will read a key model sentence.
You will record yourself saying two key sentences aloud.
Finally, you will have a short conversation with the AI, in which you report what three different people have said about how they are feeling.

Take your time, speak clearly, and remember: the verb after the reporting verb should be in the past tense (backshifted).

الـReported Speech للأحاسيس والمشاعر

في الدرس ده هنتعلم إزاي نحوّل الكلام اللي بيقوله الناس عن مشاعرهم لـreported speech. يعني بدل ما تقولي 'I am tired'، هتقولي 'She said she was tired' أو 'He told me he felt exhausted'. المهارة دي مهمة جدًا في المحادثات الحقيقية، خصوصًا لما نتكلم عن الـmental wellbeing مع صحابنا أو زمايلنا.

تركيب جملة الـReported Speech

أي جملة reported speech كويسة فيها ٦ حاجات لازم تاخد بالك منهم:

Reporting verb زي said أو told أو mentioned أو admitted أو asked
Object لو محتاجين، زي me أو him أو her أو us أو them
That / if / wh- word - كلمة that ساعات بتنحذف في الكلام العادي
Subject غالبًا he أو she أو they
Verb in past tense - لازم الـverb يرجع للماضي، يعني نسوي backshift زي is تبقى was
Feeling or detail - الإحساس أو التفصيلة في الآخر

مثال كامل: 'She told me (that) she had been feeling anxious since the project started.'

أفعال مختلفة للتعبير عن المشاعر

ما تعتمدش دايمًا على said. في أفعال تانية بتدي معنى أوضح وأغنى:

admitted - الشخص كان متردد بس صريح: She admitted she was struggling.
complained - الشخص مش راضي وشاكي: He complained that the workload was unfair.
confessed - بيشارك حاجة صعبة عليه: He confessed that he felt burned out.
denied - بيقول إن الإحساس ده مش موجود: She denied feeling anxious.
insisted - الشخص واثق من كلامه: He insisted he was fine.
revealed - بيكشف سر: She revealed that she had been seeing a therapist.

نصايح للكلام الطبيعي

Intonation: النبرة بتنزل في الآخر لو جملة عادية، وبتطلع لو جملة سؤال. ده بيسمع اللي قدامك إنك بتـreport سؤال مش خبر.
Pausing: اعمل وقفة صغيرة بعد الـreporting verb عشان الكلام يبقى واضح: 'She said... she was tired.'
Contractions: استخدم الاختصارات عشان يطلع طبيعي، زي she'd بدل she had وcouldn't بدل could not.
Time references: غيّر الزمن لو محتاج. مثلاً yesterday تبقى the day before، وtomorrow تبقى the next day.

الجملة المفتاحية في الدرس

الجملة الأساسية: 'I told my manager I was struggling, and she said she would help me prioritise.' شوف استخدمت told عشان فيه object (my manager)، وsaid بعدها عشان مفيش object. الـverb prioritise اتكتبت بـs زي British spelling.

لما تيجي تـrecord، ركز على تختار الـreporting verb المناسب للإحساس، تعمل backshift صح، وتضيف الـfeeling في الآخر. كده هتقدر تحكي عن مشاعر صحابك بطلاقة.

Anna and Ben are having coffee. Ben looks tired, and Anna asks him how he is. Listen to how Ben reports what his manager said.

A
Anna Hi Ben, you look tired. How are you feeling?
B
Ben I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, actually. My new project is huge.
A
Anna Oh no. Have you told your manager?
B
Ben Yes, I told her I was struggling, and she said she would help me prioritise.
A
Anna That's good. Are you sleeping okay?
B
Ben Better since I started winding down before bed.

I told my manager I was struggling, and she said she would help me prioritise.

A model sentence showing two pieces of reported speech with backshift: 'I am struggling' → 'I was struggling', and 'I will help' → 'she would help'.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. Focus on the past perfect 'had been feeling' after 'told me'.

She told me she had been feeling really anxious since the new job started.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. Notice the backshifted 'couldn't' (from 'can't') and 'was' (from 'is').

He said he couldn't sleep because he was stressed about the project.

Required

You are having coffee with a friend. They want to hear what people in your life have said about how they are feeling. Report what three different people said, using reported speech. Use verbs like 'said', 'told me', 'mentioned', 'asked', 'complained' and 'explained'. Remember to backshift the tense.

Required

I CAN report what people said about their feelings using reported speech
I CAN listen for reported speech in conversations and identify who said what
I CAN use different reporting verbs: said, told, mentioned, asked, explained, complained
I CAN apply tense backshift in reported speech (present → past, past → past perfect)

Vocabulary

6 cards

Mental wellbeing is about how we think, feel and cope with everyday life. When we discuss it, we need precise words to describe emotions that are not just 'happy' or 'sad'. At B2 level, you should be able to talk about a range of feelings, identify causes and discuss strategies for managing them. Here are ten useful words and phrases for this topic.

Core vocabulary

Word	Part of speech	Meaning (Arabic)	Example sentence
stressed	adjective	feeling under pressure / تحت ضغط	She's been feeling stressed since the new manager arrived.
anxious	adjective	worried or nervous / قلق	He felt anxious before the presentation.
overwhelmed	adjective	unable to cope with too much / مرهق تمامًا	After three deadlines in one week, I felt completely overwhelmed.
exhausted	adjective	extremely tired / منهك	By Friday, the whole team was exhausted.
frustrated	adjective	annoyed at not making progress / محبط	She was frustrated because her progress had slowed.
content	adjective	satisfied and peaceful / راضٍ	He feels content with his life at the moment.
to cope	verb	to manage a difficult situation / يتعامل، يتأقلم	She's learning to cope with stress through exercise.
to wind down	phrasal verb	to relax after work or stress / يسترخي	I wind down by reading in the evening.
mindfulness	noun	paying calm attention to the present / اليقظة الذهنية	Mindfulness can help reduce anxiety.
mood	noun	the way you feel at a particular time / مزاج	Her mood improved after the holiday.

Useful collocations

These words often appear together in fixed phrases:

to manage stress / anxiety
to ease anxiety / pressure
to lift someone's mood
to open up about your feelings (= to talk honestly about personal feelings)
to seek help / support
to burn out / burnout (noun) - to become exhausted from working too hard
work-life balance - the balance between work time and personal time
mental health - the state of a person's mind and emotions
to take care of yourself - to look after your own wellbeing
to reach out to someone - to contact someone for help or support

Gradable vs strong adjectives

Some feeling adjectives are gradable: they can have different strengths. We can use really, extremely or a bit with them. For example: a bit stressed, really anxious, extremely overwhelmed.

Other adjectives like exhausted or overwhelmed are already very strong, so we usually do not say 'very exhausted' - we say 'absolutely exhausted' or 'completely overwhelmed' instead.

Verbs vs nouns for feelings

Many feeling words can be both adjectives and verbs:

stress (noun) / to stress (verb) - Work is causing me stress. / Don't stress about the exam.
anxiety (noun) / to feel anxious (verb phrase) - Her anxiety is normal. / She feels anxious at work.
to relax (verb) / relaxation (noun) - I find it hard to relax. / Yoga is great for relaxation.

In the next steps you will meet these words in different exercises and use them in context.

مفردات الصحة النفسية (Mental Wellbeing Vocabulary)

في الدرس ده هنتعلم كلمات ومفردات بتوصف حالتك النفسية بدقة، عشان تقدر تتكلم عن مشاعرك بوضوح على مستوى B2. المفردات هنا مقسّمة لأربع حاجات أساسية: صفات المشاعر، أفعال مفيدة، صفات قوية vs صفات عادية، والكلمات المصاحبة (collocations).

صفات المشاعر (Feeling Adjectives)

دي كلمات بتوصف إحساسك في لحظة معيّنة:

stressed (تحت ضغط) — She's been stressed since the new manager arrived.
anxious (قلقان) — He felt anxious before the presentation.
overwhelmed (مرهق تمامًا من ضغط كبير) — I felt completely overwhelmed after three deadlines in one week.
exhausted (منهك) — By Friday, the whole team was exhausted.
frustrated (محبط) — She was frustrated because her progress had slowed.
content (مرتاح وراضي) — He feels content with his life at the moment.

أفعال مفيدة (Useful Verbs)

to cope يعني "يتعامل أو يتأقلم مع موقف صعب" — She's learning to cope with stress through exercise.
to wind down يعني "يسترخي بعد الشغل أو التوتر" — I wind down by reading in the evening.

صفات عادية vs صفات قوية (Gradable vs Strong Adjectives)

دي نقطة مهمة جدًا. في صفات تقدر تزوّد قوتها بكلمات زي really أو a bit:

a bit stressed
really anxious

لكن exhausted و overwhelmed دول أصلاً كلمات قوية جدًا، فبنقول absolutely exhausted أو completely overwhelmed، مش "very exhausted".

فعل واسم من نفس الجذر

كتير من الكلمات ممكن تبقى فعل أو اسم بنفس الشكل:

stress (اسم) / to stress (فعل) — Work is causing me stress. / Don't stress about the exam.
anxiety (اسم) / to feel anxious — Her anxiety is normal. / She feels anxious at work.
to relax (فعل) / relaxation (اسم) — I find it hard to relax. / Yoga is great for relaxation.

Collocations مفيدة

كلمات بتمشي مع بعض كتير في الإنجليزي:

to manage stress / anxiety
to ease anxiety / pressure
to lift someone's mood
to open up about your feelings (تتكلم بصراحة)
to burn out (تنهار من الشغل الزيادة)
work-life balance (التوازن بين الشغل والحياة)
to reach out to someone (تتواصل مع حد تطلب مساعدة)

استخدم الكلمات دي في كلامك عن مشاعرك أو لما تسمع حد بيحكي، عشان توصّل فكرتك بدقة وطبيعية.

Ten key words for talking about mental wellbeing. Read them carefully and notice the part of speech for each one.

anxious ˈæŋkʃəs
Feeling worried, nervous, or uneasy about something that might happen, often about the future or an uncertain
content kənˈtɛnt
Feeling happy and satisfied with what you have; not wanting anything more or different.
exhausted ɪɡˈzɔːstɪd
Feeling extremely tired with no energy left; completely worn out after physical or mental effort.
frustrated frʌˈstreɪtɪd
Feeling upset, disappointed, or angry because you cannot achieve what you want or because things are not going
overwhelmed ˌəʊvəˈwelmd
Feeling unable to cope because you have too many things to deal with, or feeling very emotionally affected by
stressed strest
past simple and past participle of stress
to cope kəʊp
To deal effectively with a difficult situation or problem; to manage successfully despite difficulties.
to wind down tuː wɪnd daʊn
To relax and reduce stress after a period of activity or excitement; to gradually slow down and become calmer.