ストレスを感じる

You take the katakana word ストレス (stress). Then you add the object marker を. Finally, you use the verb 感じる (to feel). In casual talk, you can drop the を. Just say ストレス感じる to a close friend. If you are at work, use ストレスを感じます for politeness. It is a very flexible building block for your Japanese. You can even use it in the past tense: ストレスを感じた. This is perfect for reflecting on a rough day.

Use it when life gets a bit too much for you. Maybe your boss keeps adding tasks to your pile. Perhaps your train is delayed for the third time this week. You can use it when talking to friends about school exams. It is also common in health or wellness contexts. Even a difficult video game can make you say it. Imagine you are texting a friend after a long shift. You might say, "Today was so busy, sutoresu o kanjiru." It signals that you need a break or a drink.

Do not use this for purely physical sensations or pain. If your shoes are too tight, do not use it. Use itai (painful) instead. Also, avoid it for very minor, momentary inconveniences. If you drop a spoon, you are just unlucky. Stress is for things that weigh on your mind over time. Do not use it to describe someone else's feelings unless you are sure. It is usually a personal admission of your own mental state.

Japan is often called a sutoresu-shakai (stress society). People work long hours and value social harmony. This means they often hide their true feelings to avoid conflict. Because of this, expressing stress is a way to seek empathy. It is a shared experience in modern Japanese life. Everyone understands the feeling of a long commute or strict hierarchy. In recent years, companies have started "stress checks" for employees. This shows how serious the topic has become in Japan. Admitting stress is no longer a sign of weakness.

You will often hear ストレスがたまる. This means stress is accumulating like a pile of dirty laundry. Another one is ストレスを発散する. This means to release or blow off some steam. If someone is causing you stress, they are a sutoresu-gen. That literally means a "source of stress." You might also hear sutoresu-free for a relaxed environment. These variations help you describe the whole lifecycle of feeling overwhelmed.