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At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
External Causes of Stress
Stress is a normal physiological reaction caused by internal or external stimuli. The stress response is a protective mechanism that could save your life or keep you on your toes during a sports challenge or business presentation. Beyond that, it can be damaging to your health. The external causes of stress are sometimes out of your hands. You may need to learn stress management techniques in order to deal with them 1.
Major Life Changes
Life changes do not have to be catastrophic to be stressful, according to medical professionals at MayoClinic.com. The loss of a spouse through death or divorce is one of the most stressful events you can experience, but getting married, having a baby or moving into a new home can be stressful as well. Anything that puts pressure on you can create stress 1.
Financial Problems
What Are the Most Common Causes of Stress?
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Worrying about how you will pay the rent or car payment can keep you awake at night. Whether the problems result from poor money management or lack of income due to a cut in pay or layoff, the result is the same. Unforeseen expenses such as medical or car-repair bills can ruin the most carefully planned budget and result in high levels of stress.
Problems at Work
According to the Business Link website, high workloads with unrealistic deadlines are stress inducers that can make you feel rushed and constantly under pressure. Lack of control over what you are doing can also be stressful 1. Having to take on a job for which you feel you are not sufficiently trained or experienced is stress-inducing, as is bullying or harassment of any type.
Environment
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Environmental stressors are frequently the result of inconsiderate neighbors who play music too loudly or who leave behind a dog that barks until they return. When these things happen at night and you cannot sleep, you will become both tired and stressed. Other factors in the environment can cause stress as well. Too much light coming into your bedroom when you are trying to sleep is stressful. Noises from busy streets, trains or industrial facilities in the neighborhood are stressors as well.
- Environmental stressors are frequently the result of inconsiderate neighbors who play music too loudly or who leave behind a dog that barks until they return.
- When these things happen at night and you cannot sleep, you will become both tired and stressed.
Children and Family
HelpGuide.org identifies children and family as external contributors to stress. As much as you love them, your children can cause major amounts of stress 1. When they are young, their colic or teething may keep you up at night. As they grow older, the problems will change, but they will not go away. You will, naturally, worry about their health, their schoolwork and their social lives. Their teen years will usher in concerns about driving, smoking, drinking and drugs. At the same time, your parents may be experiencing a decline in their health and you will have to become caregiver for them as well as for your own family.
- HelpGuide.org identifies children and family as external contributors to stress.
- As much as you love them, your children can cause major amounts of stress 1.
Related Articles
References
- MayoClinic.com: Stress Management: Understand Your Sources of Stress
- Help Guide: Understanding Stress
- National Institute of Mental Health. 5 Things You Should Know About Stress.
- Ma X, Yue ZQ, Gong ZQ, et al. The effect of diaphragmatic breathing on attention, negative affect and stress in healthy adults. Front Psychol. 2017;8:874. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Mind and Body Approaches for Stress: What the Science Says. 2020.
- Bota PG, Miropolskiy E, Nguyen V. Stop caretaking the borderline or narcissist: How to end the drama and get on with life. Ment Illn. 2017;9(1):6985. doi:10.4081/mi.2017.6985
- Lehrer PM, Woolfolk RL, Sime WE. Principles and Practice of Stress Management. 3rd edition. New York: The Guilford Press; 2007.
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Writer Bio
Former teacher/real estate broker Margo Steele began freelance writing and editing in 1985, and has written for eHow Home and Garden, Trails Travel, Garden Guides and LIVESTRONG.COM. She also remodels houses, designs and sells jewelry, and is an avid gardener. Steele is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in speech communication.