What are the Causes of Stress

It can often be difficult to identify the causes of stress because people are individuals and can react differently to any given situation. While one person may deal with a stressful situation with confidence and ease, another person may find great difficulty in coping and becomes overstressed.

There are numerous events in life that can cause stress, and despite the differences in peoples makeup, there are a number of well identified events that can trigger a stress reaction. These can range from losing your job, breaking up with a spouse or long term partner, or being diagnosed with a serious illness. Peoples reactions to these types of major event will determine how the cope with any increased in their stress levels.

Some people will see the event as a new opportunity for change, which will give them a new lease of life, while others will see it as a crushing burden that will have a long lasting negative effect on their life. This makes it very difficult to generalise about what causes stress.

A loss of a job can certainly be a source of a great deal of stress, due to the wide ranging impact this can have on peoples lives. People may see a drastic reduction in their income level, worry about paying their mortgage, and how long it will take to find a new job. Other people may see the same event as a new challenge and an opportunity to change direction in their career, which will lead to a better future in the long term.

In the same way, the end of a close relationship can be very stressful. Some people will believe that their life is meaningless without this person and sink into a state of depression, while others may see it as somthing which happens to most people at some point in their life, and they adjust themselves to the new situation accordingly. Peoples reactions will be different because we all interpret these events differently.

Something which would cause most people stress is being diagnosed with a serious illness. Illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis or heart problems will often leave people extremely worried and stressed. This is a natural reaction to the unknown and people will be unsure of how they will cope with this new situation.

Other circumstances which can cause stress include being under too much pressure at work by managers, problems in dealing with young or teenage children, or problems with neighbours or living in a community wit hhigh levels of crime. All of these issues can cause an increase in stress.

In many cases it is not the cause of the stress that is the most important factor, but how the person deals with the situation. If they feel they can overcome the obstacles quickly without any major difficulty, they are much less likeley to feel stressed by the event.