Causes of Stress

Causes of Stress Related Information:

It happens to the best of us – the trials and tribulations of everyday life coupled with the worries at work and at home eventually take their toll, leaving us feeling low and stressed out. However, there is a big difference between feeling stressed for an hour or two, and suffering from real stress which begins to have a physiological effect as well as a mental one.

But what causes us to become so stressed? Well, there are actually a very wide variety of reasons why we might become so stressed that it begins to really affect our well-being and our life. Stress can stem from both physical and emotional factors, and can be caused by situations, feelings, and perceptions.

Most commonly, stress is known to be work-related, family-related or love-relates. Anything that causes stress is known as a stressor, and the above stressors are ones that can commonly affect our physical and emotional well-being, leaving us feeling under stress. And of course, once stress sets in the rest of our body begins to suffer. In fact, doctors believe that a large percentage of patients that visit their GPs with various problems are actually stressed and that the physiological condition that they present is actually a result of stress.

So, how can stress affect us physiologically? Well, stress can show itself in many ways. These include: headaches, diarrhoea, insomnia, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, backache, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It can also affect our eating patterns, as well as reduce our immunity levels, leaving us open to colds and other illnesses.

The key to dealing with stress is to be able to determine the source of the stress, or the stressor. The pressures of meeting deadlines, working eight hours a day, trying to keep the boss at bay and coping with a busy lifestyle can have a major effect on stress levels. Working until 5.00pm and then getting home, tidying, cooking, washing up and then getting ready to start it all again can be both frustrating and tiring, contributing further to our stress levels. And if we feel as though we are not appreciated at work, we start to feel worthless which steps up the stress another notch.

You may be feeling stressed due to problems with the family. Perhaps you’ve been rowing with your parents or siblings, or you haven’t been speaking to a member of your family for a while. Family problems are another major cause of stress for many people, and can result in your emotions getting a real battering.

Another common stressor is relationships and love-life. There are many emotional issues that pose a risk to our stress levels in relationships. Perhaps your partner has left you, or you think he is going to leave you. Perhaps you have decided you want to leave your partner but don’t know how to go about it. Maybe you think he is seeing somebody else, or perhaps he’s asked you to get engaged and you don’t feel ready. The list goes on, and it could be any one thing or a number of things that can affect your stress levels in terms of relationship.

Stress can also be caused by other factors, such as exams, job interviews, even things like having to go to the dentist. Some of these stressors cause short-term stress which could give you diarrhoea and headaches for a while, but once the event is over then the stress passes. However, with long term stress it is not quite so easy, and as the stress continues to fester, this is where physiological as well as additional emotional problems can set in.