Stress comes and originates from many sources and these sources are often regarded as stressors. Although stress is a natural occurrence, the way everyone perceives stress is different. What might be regarded as stressful to someone may not be stressful to another individual. A thing might be stressful to someone and the same thing can be regarded as only challenging by another individual. Our stress triggers are somewhat different from one another as the trigger of the stress of a person might not even the trigger of stress to another person. As individuals, we may most likely find ourselves in some dire situations where there is a high demand on us but we have just minimal or little control as well as choices and this can lead to us experiencing stress.
You might think stress is a negative thing that can result from engaging in exhausting work or having heartbreaks. This is not exactly true. Stress is said to be anything that puts high demands on one. They could be caused due to demand from positive events such as getting married, procuring a house or an asset, gaining admission into a college, or even receiving a promotion at work. Stress can be caused by external factors while some also are caused internally or generated in the body. The self-generating of stress could be caused by having mental breakdowns or getting tired and exhausted after engaging in a tasking activity. It can also be caused due to worrying excessively and overthinking about something which may happen or which may not happen.
The major internal or self-generating causes of stress include having pessimistic thoughts, the inability to accept uncertainty, having rigid thoughts, and not having a flexible mind. Talking negatively to oneself can also be the cause of stress as well as the habit of having unrealistic expectations. External factors which could cause stress include major life changes, being exhausted at work or school, having relationship challenges, financial problems, or being too busy to take care of some issues. Children, as well as family members, can also be a major factor by which stress is caused. Now let us go into details about some external causes of stress.
1. Work Stress: We all undergo stress at the workplace. Some stress which is undergone at the workplace can be tagged as normal but some could be excessive and this type could impede one’s productivity as well as has an impact on a person’s emotional and physical health as well as casting doubts on one’s relationship and well-being. This stress could leave an impact on one’s life but there are ways to manage this form of stress as well and this will be talked about in subsequent sections of this book.
2. Job Loss:Losing a job is termed a very emotionally stressful phase of someone’s life. It is one of the worst forms of causes of stress which a person can face. This cause of stress can bring a change all at once in a moment and it could lead to one having a question about one’s sense of purpose as well as self-esteem. The stress which accrues from this can be very overwhelming and if care is not taken can lead one into a state of depression and uncertainty. With the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, so many companies and job establishments have had to lay off numerous staff as well as employees and this has thrown so many people and individuals into a state of disarray and self-doubt. There are however many steps that one can take to come out of this stress and become more resilient as well as having a renewed sense of purpose.
3. Financial Stress: With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, so many people all over the world have been affected negatively and made redundant which has subjected them to earning little and into a state of the financial crisis. Many people are having to deal with uncertainty as well as stress based on finances in these times which was caused by the unfortunate breakout of the coronavirus pandemic. People are having difficulty processing this stress, talk more about managing it effectively. In this book, however, the ways as to which this stress can be tackled are well highlighted and explained which would give one the opportunity of easing this stress and anxiety as well as regaining control over one’s finances.
4. Loss of a loved one: This is one major external cause of stress in an individual. Having to cope with the loss of a particular person, especially a dear loved one is a particularly big stressor. The pain, as well as the stress which comes up with the loss of a dear one, can particularly be overwhelming. A person may experience emotions ranging from shock, anger, disbelief, grief, guilt as well as profound sadness. Although this form of loss is indeed tragic, there exists some methods and techniques which could be taken to come with this stress and help one to find new meaning and live a better life.
With these causes of stress both the internal and the external factors involved, there is the need to know one’s limit as to the trigger factors of stress. The amount to which stress affects a particular person is different from how it affects another individual. And stress has many effects, we must take a look at them.