Stressed People
Why Are Some People More Affected

Stressed people, you seem to see and hear about them more and more in today’s hectic world.

You see them on the train in the morning, looking anxious.

You see them at the shopping mall, rushing here and there red faced and you definitely see them at the office, clock watching.

So why is it that some people seem to be affected by stress negatively, and others seem to cope with the same pressures and even thrive on it, what makes these people different?

Who Gets Stressed?

The quick answer is that most people will have experienced some level of stress in their lives.

It may be occasional periods where things seem to get on top of them, or it may be constant daily pressures which never seem to go away.

The thing is some people thrive on stress whereas others seem to crumble and become ill at the slightest thing, why?

Some stressed people may have developed better coping strategies that help them through periods of stress. However research suggests that we may actually inherit our stress levels. So unfortunately it may not be in your control how you react to stress but you can learn how to manage it.

There are also groups of people who are exposed to more stress than others and also are more affected by it:

• Socially deprived groups experience more stressful every day situations than more affluent people. Not surprising when they could be experiencing things like debt problems, overcrowding and possibly unemployment.
  
  
• Women also seem to be more affected by stress than men. This is particularly true of the age group 35 -45.
  
  
• Some personality types are also more likely to become stressed.
  

Why Worry About Managing Stress?

Lets look at some statistics which should help to show how stress not only effects us as individuals but also can cost employers and ultimately your country a lot of money.

• Compensation claims for workplace stress is on the increase
  
  
• In the UK every year about 150,000 take at least a month off work due to stress related illness. That’s 6,500,000 working days
  
  
• Every year about £3.75 billion pounds is spent due to work related stress.
  
  
• Globally, more than 3 out of 5 visits to the doctor are for stress related problems.
  
  
• Forty-three percent of adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. ( American Psychological Association, 2005.)
  
  
• Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death—heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. ( American
  Psychological Association, 2005.)

As you can see there are many reasons to take control of your life and banish stress from your life.

So Are You One of The Stressed People?

Considering that you are here visiting this site, I would say that you probably think you are. Why not take our stress test to see just how stressed you actually are.