Stress Causes are in the eye of the beholder

What are your stress causes? Do you find studying for an exam stressful? being stuck in a traffic jam? misplacing something? starting a new relationship? or working long hours stressful?

The answer is maybe or maybe not!

Stress is in the eye of the beholder, so what causes one person severe stress, may be a minor source of stress for another person.

There are many stress causes, but most of them can be broken down into daily hassles and major life events.

Life’s little hassles

Daily hassles are the little things that add up over time. Life’s daily hassles may include a concern about the health of somebody in your family, misplacing your keys, having too much to do, trying to lose weight, or being stuck in a traffic jam. Do these sound familiar?

Everyday annoyances can make you a candidate for health problems. In one study, the more frequent and intense the daily hassles, the poorer the health and the wellbeing of the individual.

The most reported daily hassles include being worried about your physical appearance, the poor health of a family member, home maintenance problems, and rising prices. While your own daily hassles may be different to these, what is important is their frequency and duration, and how you react to them.

Important life events

Important life events can also have an effect on your stress levels. These may include the death of a spouse, divorce, major illness in the family, failing a course at school, losing your job, and retirement. Psychologists have also suggested that pleasant events such as getting married or getting a job promotion can cause stress. Whether pleasant or unpleasant, a stressful event requires adjustment and adaptation to change.

Symptoms of prolonged distress can include depression, sleep disturbances, fatigue, panic attacks, loneliness and increased chance of mortality.