Stress has so many different causes and it varies from individual to individual. Some people are more susceptible to stressful situations, being more sensitive in nature, while others are less affected and can go on with their lives without major traumatic post-stress disorders. Stress can cause real physical and psychological distress and it’s the disease of our age. There are so many stress factors around us that would take pages to write. We’ve showed you in a previous post a list of the best foods that relieve stress and now we’ve made a list of the most common causes of stress for a better understanding of this serious condition.
10. Childhood Traumas
There are people who experience long-term stress because of a traumatic experience in their childhood. These experiences can be remembered in the conscious state or they can damage the individual on a subconscious level as repressed traumatic memories. Studies have shown that traumatic emotional experiences as a child causes major physical and psychological stress later in life. Children who lived in abusive families are often more sensitive to stressful situations.
9. Death Of A Loved One
The death of someone close to us is one of the most common causes of stress. Death of a spouse or of a family member is a difficult situation to face, causing long-term emotional distress. Stress is made even worse if a family is in debt and one of the spouses passes away, leaving the other worrying about finances on top of the grieving.
8. Divorce
According to the Holmes-Rahe stress scale, divorce is one of the major common causes of stress. Besides dealing with a lot of stressful emotions, divorce usually means that one or both spouses must leave home. People who go through a divorce also have to deal with disagreements that involve child support, finances, custody, division of property and personal goods. The stress from a divorce situation also affects the children involved.
7. Finances
Another leading common causes of stress in the Holmes-Rahe scale has to do with money. Finances, especially mortgages, cause deep stressful emotions mixed with feelings of uncertainty and fear of homelessness. Also, people who live in poverty or individuals who have major debts or are bankrupt experience high levels of stress.
6. Job
Job related stress is one of the most common causes of stress in our society. There are many job related stressful situations: for people who are unemployed and they’re looking for jobs with no result, people who already have a job with low salaries, people who have important jobs with high responsibilities. All these situations lead to a great level of stress daily.
5. Health
Personal health is another cause of stress on both adults and children. Unexpected health crisis, chronic illnesses and worrying about medical bills can all lead to stress, which forms a vicious circle since stress itself contributes to a lot of illnesses like chronic depression. The World Health Organization estimates that in the next 10 years, stress-related illnesses will be the second leading cause of disability in the world.
4. Personal Relationships
Everyone is stressed at some time by personal relationships, even if those relationships are in good terms. Conflicts and misunderstandings between parents and kids, couples fight, friends and coworkers sometimes argue. All these conflictual scenarios can lead to stress.
3. Chronically Ill Child
This stress factor is a very serious one for parents. A child who is chronically ill or injures himself frequently are situations that put the parents under a great deal of stress. Worrying about the child’s recovery or seeing their child suffering can be devastating for a parent.
2. Pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of the most common causes of stress, especially if the pregnancy is not planned or if it means serious complications for the mother, the child or both. Another stress factor is when couples are not ready emotionally or financially to be parents.
1. Dangerous Situations
Car accidents, fires, natural disasters or any other dangerous situations can cause a lot of stress. Any event that is out of the ordinary for an individual can cause short or long-term physical and emotional stress. Usually situations that are hazardous and we cannot control are common causes of stress.
This was our list of most common causes of stress that affect us all. What kind of situations are the most stress inducing for you? Let us know in the comment section below.
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