What Causes StressWhen determining what causes stress in our lives, we could list events such as traffic jams, solving financial worries, visiting obnoxious relatives, or giving an oral presentation at work. Yet, when we delve more deeply into what causes stress in our lives, we find that the true stressors can be identified by certain patterns which tend to be invented in our heads while being continuously played out in our minds. These are the stressors that keep us up at night when we are trying to get our sleep. These stressors are the anticipation of future events (worrying and anxious about what might happen), or giving up because we think we are unable to fix situations which have already occurred.Stress is often created in our minds, but there are many physical effects of stress as well. It used to be, during the age of our caveman ancestors, that stressors were caused by some imminent physical crisis, like being attacked by a wild animal, for example. Not anymore! Now, we are apt to get caught up in the urgency of everything we have to do,and caught up in what we think is important, that tension and anxiety consume us. Time management and stress are directly related. What causes stress in our lives are events or situations that often include one or more of the following patterns: You Have No Sense of Control-- The issue of control is central to coping with problems and coping with stress. When things feel under control you might feel content for the moment. But when they go out of control again, or even seem to be getting out of control your deepest insecurities can erupt. Worries about control often come from seemingly insignificant events that occur on a daily basis. Life balance seems to get out of whack. Have you ever tried throwing Jello at a tree hoping it will stick? Not much luck with that. That may be the way you feel as you try to gain control over life’s problems coming your way. When daily events threaten your sense of control in some way, from the car breaking down when you need to get somewhere or grocery store lines being too long when you are in a hurry, you become stressed. What causes stress is the sense of helplessness and the depression you experience because these events are out of your control. What causes stress at work is often the fact that you are not able to take charge of your own daily work expectations. You work hard, a lot is expected of you, and you have minimal control over the process. This is one of the major causes of stress in the workplace. Having no say in what is expected makes it difficult for you to stay motivated or maintain positive self-esteem. It’s not that you are a control freak, it’s just that you want to know someone is listening to your opinion and that you matter to people in this work environment. However, being in control when things go wrong is also a source of stress, so that balance of control seems to be reflective of the situation. There Is A Lack of Predictability-- More predictive information about impending stressors can be very stress reducing. What causes stress is a fear of the unknown and a sense of not being able to prepare. Loss of predictability as a stressor is very real. You can optimize your coping strategies if you know what to expect. For example, when visiting the dentist, if you know what to expect regarding a tooth repair, you can mentally prepare yourself. If the dentist tells you that the drilling will only last 10 more seconds, you can bolster yourself to handle the experience. However, in some cases, knowing about an upcoming stressful event may make you worry more and become more tense and anxious. In that case, predictability can add to the stress rather than reduce the stress. For the majority of the time, a loss of control and lack of predictive information are closely related and are two factors involved in what causes stress. When you thought you knew how to manage things; you thought you knew what would happen next and it turns out you were wrong, your stress level increases. You Have A Perception That Things Are Getting Worse Combine loss of control and predictability with a perception of things worsening, and you have the situation of bad things happening, out of your control, and utterly unpredictable. Yet, a major part of your ability to influence your circumstances depends on how you see things. That is where being optimistic about life in general is a benefit. What causes stress to increase in our lives is often the way in we see life circumstances playing out. If you are negative, your mood and attitude will likely contribute to a making the situation more stressful. Being negative makes you no fun to be around. And being isolated from others, having less social interaction, can lead to increased stress. What causes stress in situations can be increased if you have no one to vent your frustrations or talk out situations to find reasonable solutions. confiding in friends is one of the effective ways to reduce stress. Try to find ways to stay positive, even in difficult situations. It may not be easy, but friends can definitely help. Listed below are several articles that illustrate how to reduce the stress in your life if you are experiencing a loss of control or predictability. There are many ways to reduce stress in your life, but you need to find the strategies that work best for you. Life Stressors in Women's Lives New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
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