Causes of Stress

What are the biggest causes of stress for you? Whether it is workplace stress, relationship stress, or concerns about the economy, identifying your stress causes and your reaction to stress are important parts of taking control of stress today.

You only need to scan the news to know that stress is a part of life. However, with the right stress management techniques it does not have to be a way of life!

Do you feel pressured with too much work and not enough time?

Are you stressed about finances or the economy?

Are family responsibilities overwhelming you?

Over 50% of the population experienced moderate to high stress levels in the previous year.

Here we discuss some of the main stress causes and provide you with a stress worksheet to download and monitor your stress causes.

Main causes of stress

Jobs, relationships, money, responsibilities - all are very rewarding but also can be some of the biggest causes of stress.

A little stress can be good for you, motivating you to excel and achieve.

But as any athlete or elite performer will tell you, there is a fine line between too little and too much stress.

Too much stress for too long is bad for your health.

Medical professionals estimate that 75-85% of illness is precipitated or aggravated by stress. The link between stress and health is strong!

Causes of stress worksheet

Are you stressed and overwhelmed but don't know why?

Do you want to change the way that you react to stress?

Are you looking for a way to reduce stress in your life?

If so, then collecting objective data on your stress is beneficial to you. This can be done through a stress diary that you can download on this site.

First Steps to Taming Stress The first steps to deal with stress are: identify what your stress causes are understand your stress signature. To do this, a stress diary helps you gather objective data on your stress.

Here we provide a 'causes of stress worksheet' (stress diary) that helps you to identify:

• situations that are stressful for you
• your stress symptoms
• ways to respond to stress and their effectiveness.

Collecting objective data on your stress worksheet provides you with a clearer picture of your stress causes.

Why is this important?

When you understand what your causes of stress are and how you react to stress, you are in a better position to apply the best stress management techniques for you.

How to use your stress diary

When stressed, taking the time to write about it may feel like the last thing you want to do.

But collecting objective data on your stress provides you with a clearer picture of stress in your life and how you react to and cope with it.

You identify patterns of stress and understand your stress signature and options to apply stress management techniques.

1. The first step is to download your stress diary
2. Write down any stressful events
3. Record the time and day

4. Write down the intensity of stress that you felt.

   For example, no stress would be rated as 0 and the most stressful that you have ever been would be rated as 10.

5. Describe the situation and the factors tjat made the event stressful

   For example, I was not able to finish the project by today's deadline.

6. Identify the trigger to the event. In this case, this would involve listing the factors led up to the stressful event. Ask yourself "How?" and "Why?" questions.

   This helps to identify the type of stress management technique you may want to use.

   For example, why did I not complete the project in time? Was it because I set an unrealistic time frame for the project? Was I unable to manage distractions? Have I too much to do and not enough time?

   If a lack of time is a cause of stress for you then try this time management course.

7. What were your stress symptoms?

   Ask yourself how you feel and think, and what sort of things are going on in your body.

   For example, I am worried and anxious about what the boss will say and am starting to get a migraine.

   I notice that I am getting increase muscle tension.

   Progressive muscle relaxation may be useful to relieve muscular tension.

8. How did you respond?

   Are you tackling the cause or the symptom of stress?

   What sort of stress or time management skills can you put into place?

9. How effective was your response?

   If you are completely ineffective in the way you manage the stressful event then you score yourself 0. If you are the most effective you have ever been in managing your stress, then you score yourself 10.

   Could you have improved on the way you responded to stress? If so, how?

What Stress Management Techniques Work for You? Do you use breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or prefer meditation to reduce stress? Take part in our stress management poll and tell us what stress management techniques you use to reduce stress.

10. What is your mood or level of happiness?

    If you are the saddest and most depressed you have ever been then score yourself 0. If you are the happiest you have ever been then score yourself 10.

    This can help you identify your optimal level of stress.

    Each of us has a zone of optimal functioning in which we have an optimal level of stress to maximize our performance and effectiveness.

Knowing the causes of stress and how you react to them gives you a good picture of stress in your daily life.

Keep the stress diary for one or two weeks.

After this time, there are diminishing returns to keeping a stress diary.

The next step is to examine the diary for patterns.

Examining your stress causes

Do you notice patterns in your stress diary?

Are there things or people that make you stressed?

What times of day do you get stressed?

Answers to these questions may inform on how best to deal with stress.

In your stress diary:

• Look at the intensity of stress and identify what the most stressful events are for you.

  List the situations.

  Are there a set of similar situations that you find stressful? How can you avoid or manage these situations more effectively?

• Are there any common trigger points or causes to these highly stressful events?

  List the trigger points that caused you stress.

  Do you notice a common set of circumstances that lead up to the stressful event?

  If so, then what stress management techniques can you put into place if these circumstances arise again?

• Look at your stress symptoms.

  List your stress symptoms as physical or emotional.

  

  If your stress symptoms are physical then physical stress management techniques may be beneficial. These include progressive muscle relaxation or breathing exercises.

  If your symptoms of stress are emotional, then mental relaxation and cognitive techniques may be more beneficial to reduce stress.

• How are you responding to your stress?

  Do you have typical ways that you respond to stress?

  If so then what are those ways?

  Are you responding to the symptoms or the cause of stress?

• Are you effective in managing your stress?

  Perhaps you are effective in some responses but not in others.

  Could you improve on the way that you respond to stress?

  Knowledge of what works best for you gives you a good idea of the avenues you should take for stress management.

• How is stress affecting your happiness and mood?

  Too much or too little stress is damaging to your health and well-being.

  What is your optimal level of stress?

  Optimal levels of stress put you in the zone of peak performance.

Related stress management articles

Stress Relief: How to Relieve Stress

Stress Causes: Some Common Stress Causes

Fight or Flight: The Effects of Stress on Mind and Body

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