The incessant clamor of children reverberates around you, persistently piercing through the already overwhelming atmosphere. Simultaneously, the relentless pressure from your boss intensifies, stemming from the tardiness of a submitted report. As if this weren’t enough, a looming financial burden weighs heavily on your shoulders, as you find yourself indebted to the IRS with thousands of dollars that are conspicuously absent from your possession. The cumulative effect is an acute state of stress that permeates your being.
Stress, ostensibly an inevitable facet of life, occasionally assumes a constructive role by serving as a motivator. It propels individuals towards coveted career advancements or empowers them to conquer the final stretch of a marathon. However, when left unmanaged and allowed to burgeon into a protracted condition, stress can wield a detrimental influence, infiltrating various aspects of one’s life, including professional commitments, familial bonds, and overall well-being. Surveys indicate that over half of the American population acknowledges engaging in conflicts with friends and family attributable to stress, with more than 70% reporting tangible physical and emotional manifestations of this pervasive force.
Exploring the roots of stress reveals a myriad of triggers unique to each individual. Workplace stress emerges as a predominant culprit, as 40% of U.S. workers confess to grappling with the pressures emanating from their professional environments. Among the factors contributing to work-related stress are job dissatisfaction, an excessive workload, prolonged working hours, inadequate management, unclear job expectations, lack of decision-making autonomy, exposure to hazardous conditions, job insecurity, and the apprehension of professional stagnation or termination. The unsettling specter of having to address colleagues in speeches or confronting workplace discrimination and harassment further compounds the stressors associated with work.
Life itself is not exempt from imparting stress, with various circumstances amplifying its impact. Events such as the loss of a loved one, divorce, unemployment, heightened financial responsibilities, marriage, relocation to a new residence, chronic illness or injury, emotional turmoil (including depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, and low self-esteem), caregiving responsibilities for an ailing family member, and exposure to traumatic events like natural disasters, theft, rape, or violence can contribute significantly to life-induced stress.
Moreover, stress is not always external in origin; internal factors, such as excessive worry, can also precipitate its onset. The amalgamation of these diverse elements creates a complex interplay of factors that can induce and perpetuate stress in individuals. Understanding these multifaceted sources of stress is crucial to addressing its impact on mental, emotional, and physical health.
Causes of Stress
Everyone has different stress triggers. Work stress tops the list, according to surveys. Forty percent of U.S. workers admit to experiencing office stress, and one-quarter say work is the biggest source of stress in their lives.
Causes of work stress include:
- Being unhappy in your job
- Having a heavy workload or too much responsibility
- Working long hours
- Having poor management, unclear expectations of your work, or no say in the decision-making process
- Working under dangerous conditions
- Being insecure about your chance for advancement or risk of termination
- Having to give speeches in front of colleagues
- Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your company isn’t supportive
Life stresses can also have a big impact. Examples of life stresses are:
- The death of a loved one
- Divorce
- Loss of a job
- Increase in financial obligations
- Getting married
- Moving to a new home
- Chronic illness or injury
- Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)
- Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
- Traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, theft, rape, or violence against you or a loved one
Sometimes the stress comes from inside, rather than outside. You can stress yourself out just by worrying about things. All of these factors can lead to stress:
- Fear and uncertainty. When you regularly hear about the threat of terrorist attacks, global warming, and toxic chemicals on the news, it can cause you to feel stressed, especially because you feel like you have no control over those events. And even though disasters are typically very rare events, their vivid coverage in the media may make them seem as if they are more likely to occur than they really are. Fears can also hit closer to home, such as being worried that you won’t finish a project at work or won’t have enough money to pay your bills this month.
- Attitudes and perceptions. How you view the world or a particular situation can determine whether it causes stress. For example, if your television set is stolen and you take the attitude, “It’s OK, my insurance company will pay for a new one,” you’ll be far less stressed than if you think, “My TV is gone and I’ll never get it back! What if the thieves come back to my house to steal again?” Similarly, people who feel like they’re doing a good job at work will be less stressed out by a big upcoming project than those who worry that they are incompetent.
- Unrealistic expectations. No one is perfect. If you expect to do everything right all the time, you’re destined to feel stressed when things don’t go as expected.
- Change. Any major life change can be stressful — even a happy event like a wedding or a job promotion. More unpleasant events, such as a divorce, major financial setback, or death in the family can be significant sources of stress.
Your stress level will differ based on your personality and how you respond to situations. Some people let everything roll off their back. To them, work stresses and life stresses are just minor bumps in the road. Others literally worry themselves sick.
Effects of Stress on Your Health
When you are in a stressful situation, your body launches a physical response. Your nervous system springs into action, releasing hormones that prepare you to either fight or take off. It’s called the “fight or flight” response, and it’s why, when you’re in a stressful situation, you may notice that your heartbeat speeds up, your breathing gets faster, your muscles tense, and you start to sweat. This kind of stress is short-term and temporary (acute stress), and your body usually recovers quickly from it.
But if your stress system stays activated over a long period of time (chronic stress), it can lead to or aggravate more serious health problems. The constant rush of stress hormones can put a lot of wear and tear on your body, causing it to age more quickly and making it more prone to illness.
If you’ve been stressed out for a short period of time, you may start to notice some of these physical signs:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating
- Upset stomach
- Irritability
When stress becomes long-term and is not properly addressed, it can lead to a number of more serious health conditions, including:
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
- Heart disease
- Heart attack
- Heartburn, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome
- Upset stomach — cramps, constipation, and diarrhea
- Weight gain or loss
- Changes in sex drive
- Fertility problems
- Flare-ups of asthma or arthritis
- Skin problems such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis
Managing your stress can make a real difference to your health. One study showed that women with heart disease lived longer if they underwent a stress management program.