Causes of Stress

There can be innumerable stress factors since different individuals react differently to the same stress conditions. Extreme stress situations for an individual may prove to be mild for another, for yet another person the situations might not qualify as stress symptoms at all. Stress is often termed as a twenty first century syndrome, born out of man's race towards modern progress and its ensuing complexities. For that matter, causes such as a simple flight delay to managing a teenage child at home can put you under stress.

A stress condition can be real or perceived. Yet, our brain reacts the same way to both causes of stress by releasing stress hormones equal to the degree of stress felt. The brain doesn't differentiate between real and imagined stress. It could happen while watching a horror movie or when one is apprehensive of some imminent danger.

Life’s Situations

Major life events such as a divorce, death, midlife crisis, financial worries, persistent strain of caring for a chronically sick child, nagging health problems or managing a physically or mentally challenged family member can act as potential stressors. Even conditions such as prolonged unemployment or a sudden lay-off from a job can leave you under tremendous stress. One just can't wish away situation. Moreover one has to live through these situations, in the right spirit, to make living a worthwhile experience. Stress also comes from our personal and social contexts and from our psychological and emotional reactions to such conditioning. Here, our mental and emotional disposition, built over the years, decides whether to accept these situations with a fighting or fleeing spirit. Accordingly, we may either be under harmful influences of stressors or be out of it.

Children and women subjected to mental or physical abuses are known to suffer from tremendous stress symptoms of depression, constant anxiety and burnout.

Though anger, fear and other negative emotional reactions are natural and necessary we need to channel them constructively to create a balanced state in our body and mind.

We all react differently to different potential stressors. One person’s mild stimulation from life is another person’s intolerable burden. What is severely stressful for one person may be no more than a tiresome niggling incident to another. The degree of stress you experience is determined not simply by external events but by how you perceive the event and respond to it. The way in which you perceive the event and respond to a potential stressor is called ‘stress motivation’. 

There are four identifiable categories of stress motivation –

Cognitive, Emotional, Psycho-dynamic and Situational

Cognitive Stress

A natural phenomenon of the human brain is the constant chattering (talking to ourselves) that goes on inside our head. However, few people are aware that what we say to ourselves has a strong bearing on our mental well being.

If you tell yourself that a particular situation is hopeless, or that here is no way out, it will more than likely end up that way. Also, worrying that something will not work out, as you would like, causes anxiety and even harmful distress.

Less destructive, but still unsatisfactory, is a much used half – hearted attempt: ‘I will try to do my best’. The correct self talk is ‘I will do the best I can’. A positive, self-assertive statement is more likely to get the job done, and thereby help you to avoid a lot of unnecessary stress.

Emotional Stress

Frustration is another common phenomenon we face in our daily lives. The resultant emotional stress can lead to maladaptive behaviors which make us even more ineffective to handle the cause of the frustration.

When faced with a frustrating and stressful situation we may repeat negative behaviors because they are familiar. Another response includes anger and irritation – not a relaxing response and one which probably will not calm an already tense situation. Both these responses simply compound the initial stress.

Psycho-Dynamic Conflicts

When you are under stress you are quite likely to do over and over again the things that got you into trouble in that first place. This unconscious preoccupation with past events can keep you in the same stressful situation, and even aggravate it further and thus intensify your stress.

When your proper perception of a situation is blocked by stress, you may not see that you need to respond to the problem differently than you have in the past. Instead, you replay past responses, becoming frustrated and further stressed when these methods don’t prove effective. Also it is easier to use an old method of coping rather than to try a new One, particularly when you are under stress.

Situational Stress

This is Imposed upon us by the physical environment and Takes many forms: crowding, sudden or repetitive noise, cold, heat and so on.