Causes of stress

Change causes stress as does a crisis of one form or another. The causes of stress can be both positive events as well as negative. It is caused by things which changes our situation one way or another. This is why it can so stressful to have your daily routine changed.

Stress can be caused by many things, but generally the causes can be put into three major categories:

• Major life changes
• Daily hassles and demands
• Internal causes of stress
  

Major life changes and be both good and bad experiences, but all stressing none the less. The birth of a baby, the death of a family member, a move to another country, buying a new home, graduating from school, losing your job, divorce, marriage and so on.

The daily hassles and demands are one of the areas where we can do a lot to change our stress with planning and organization. The major life changes are great stressors, but generally also rare and as such more manageable. The daily stresses constantly nag upon us and build over time if we do not deal with them quickly and effectively. By recognizing them as stress-factors they are easier to deal with.

The daily causes of stress include:

• Environmental stressors - the physical surroundings; noise, people, fear of crime, weather etc.
• Family and relationship stressors - problems with family, partner and friends, children, illnesses, dysfunctional relationships etc.
• Work stressors – deadlines, co-workers, workload, meetings, performances, pay etc.
• Social stressors – The social situation, economy, discrimination due to gender, race, beliefs, unemployment, isolation, loneliness etc.
  

Internal causes of stress are related to how we view ourselves and what attitude we have towards our life, situation and challenges that are presented to us. This might be the most important factor for any person to work on and understand, but also the hardest to change. Our mindset and way of thinking can cause us a lot of unnecessary and additional stress.

These can include:

• Uncertainty or worries
• Negative thinking
• Self-criticism
• Unrealistic expectations and beliefs
• Perfectionism
• Low self-esteem
• Excessive or unexpressed anger
• Lack of assertiveness

source: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm