Causes of Stress
Where Does Stress Come From 

The causes of stress can be both external and internal. Stress doesn’t necessarily come from outside events or circumstances. It’s all about how you the individual react to certain situations.

Life is full of situations which can cause stress and worry to some people.

In fact anything can be a potential stressor and so it is quite difficult to neatly define all the causes of stress.

However I will highlight some of the main areas which many people find themselves in which causes them to feel agitated, worried and anxious about most often.

Even if you feel that you may not be effected by any of these causes it is worth reading through the pages as sometimes this will trigger a realization that in fact there is something similar in your life which could be the cause of your stress.

• Stressful Life Events - Death, Marriage, Moving Home
• Parenthood & Stress -Becoming Parents For The First Time
• Children & Stress - Bringing Up Children
• Carer Stress - Looking After A Sick Or Elderly Relative
• Holiday Stress - Arranging To Go On A Trip
• Work Related Stress - Every Day Work Stresses

Stressful situations and life events

As much as we would like to avoid situation which we find unpleasant unfortunately there are some situations in life which are just unavoidable.

Things like bereavement, illness and accidents and if your very unlucky, living in a war zone.

Life events like these are certainly major causes of stress and it is how we deal with them which will determine whether or not we are able to cope with them or whether or not they make us ill in the long term.

Vacations and holidays are also another time in our lives when stress can prevent us from enjoying ourselves. Don't let petty family squabbles prevent you from relaxing on vacation.

Family stress

Apart from our work colleagues we spend most of our time with our families. Now for many of us this is something we enjoy and would not see it as a stressor.

But for others, living in such close proximity with people, which although are family, they may not actually get along with that well, become a major source of stress and agitation. Possibly leading to anger, frustration and even family break downs.

Learning to deal with family stress and finding your own coping mechanisms is a vital skill to acquire if these negative responses are to be avoided.

I will focus on four areas of family life where family stress can be a problem.

• Becoming a parent for the first time - Prevent stress from letting you enjoy the birth of your first child.
  
  
• Children and Adolescence - A growing child will go through many changes and some of them can be stressful to deal with as a parent.
  
  
• Looking after an elderly or disabled relative - Caring for an elderly relative is something more and more of us are taking on, find out how to help yourself through this difficult transition.

Relationship problems

Marriage breakdowns, violence in the home, even perhaps some cases of infidelity could all have their origins from problems brought on by stress. This stress could be external to the relationship or within it but whichever it is, if not dealt with in the correct way can spiral out of control very quickly. With the original cause being lost amongst the arguments and resentfulness.

Stress at work

Some people find they spend more time at work than at home, so it is not surprising that this is one of the major causes of stress in our lives.

Again stresses at work can be either caused externally by work colleagues or bosses but can also be caused within yourself too. If you are what is known as a type A personality, it is likely that you push yourself all the time and make high demands on your own abilities and time on a daily basis. Over time this can turn from being exciting and challenging to tiring, frustrating and your body will just start to complain.

Stress at work I’m sure is sited as one of the main stressors in today’s societies, but I wonder if it has more to do with our own perceived abilities which is the true source of stress.

These are just a few causes of stress, there are many others or course but these ones if looked at more closely are definitely that ones which most stressed people will complain of.

If you think you are dealing with family stress or suffering from stress caused by any of these or any other reason, then finding stress relief should be high on your priority list. You can’t avoid it but making sure that stress does not take control of your life is a must do.