Stress is an inevitable aspect of our life. It can be defined as the body’s natural response to demands and challenges. Everyone experiences stress at least once in a while, and various events are responsible for triggering it. It can range from minor daily problems to significant ones, like job loss or divorce. The stress response constitutes physical symptoms, such as elevated blood pressure, heart rate, and emotional symptoms, such as negative thoughts, fear, anger, etc. While stress is majorly associated with negative aspects of life, it can also come from positive changes such as having a newborn baby or getting a promotion at work. To explore more about this topic, let us discuss some common causes of stress.
Stress is typically triggered by various events in your life that cause you to:
- Undergo a lot of pressure
- Face major changes
- Worry about something
- Not having control over the outcome of that situation
- Having more responsibilities than you can handle
- Not having enough activities, changes, or work in life
- Uncertain times and whatnot
While we associate stress with significant events, it could also stem from minor ones. As a result, it becomes difficult for you to pinpoint the cause of your stress and share the reasons with others.
Why do certain things make you feel stressed?
The amount of stress you experience in each situation is different, and it depends on:
Your perception of the situation
The negative or positive response, along with the level of stress, depends on your perception of an event/problem. Your perception might be connected with your past experiences, confidence, self-esteem, or how you process and interpret things. In this case, the only way to reduce stress is to change your perception by understanding the underlying cause.
A beneficial method that can help you understand the underlying cause is known as muscle testing. The popular muscle testing technique is a non-invasive method of tapping into your subconscious and finding answers to the questions about your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. It can help in identifying the potential causes of your discomfort and stress.
Your experience
Your experience in dealing with a particular kind of situation plays a significant role in your stress levels. For example, if you just had a new baby, your stress levels would depend on whether you have experience handling infants. If you have had children before, your stress levels may not be as high because you have experience. Hence, your experience determines the way you handle the pressure.
Emotional resilience
Emotional resilience plays a significant role in how well you manage stress. If you happen to be more sensitive, then your stress levels naturally elevate accordingly.
If too many things are piling up simultaneously, it can increase stress and strain you.
Common Causes of Stress
Some common causes of stress include
- Stress at work
- Unemployment or job loss
- Financial stress
- Caregiver stress
- Grief or loss
All of these are common and recurring causes of stress. Nonetheless, how much you experience it depends on your experience, emotional resilience, etc. In such case, some methods to manage stress are:
Methods to manage stress
- Guided meditation
Guided meditation is an excellent way to relax and distract yourself from the difficulties of everyday life. Many guided meditation tutorials are available on the internet, and even a five-minute session can make a drastic change. Therefore, find a secluded space and meditate for as much time as you have.
- Deep breathing
When you’re stressed, your systematic nervous system goes into overdrive – which controls your body’s response to threats. Therefore, take deep breaths in and hold for two seconds. Then, release slowly at the count of five seconds. This exercise will help reduce the anxiety and stress levels you experience and relax your muscles.
- Exercise and eat good food
Exercise (moderate to vigorous) and a balanced diet are crucial to improving your stress response mechanism. Your physical health helps you maintain mental health, which is true otherwise.
Similarly, exercise has proven to be a great stress reliever and helps your body relax. Moreover, essential nutrients such as Vitamin A, B, C, and E are crucial for the body and help in depleting stress.
- Reduce social media time
Many studies say that social media sites can cause stress in many different ways. They can affect mood, self-esteem, confidence, etc. Therefore, instead of spending time on social media, consider spending time outside with your friends or reading a good book to relax.
- Connect with others
Humans are undeniably social animals, meaning we need other people as our emotional support. If you have an emotional connection with people, you won’t feel alone in your struggles. For this reason, maintain a relationship with people or a community. You can also take part in organized sports or shared activities.
Conclusion
While it may seem unlikely, stress serves a significant purpose. It helps us in responding to emergencies and avoiding dangerous situations. However, long exposures to stress can cause harm to your emotional and physical health. It can lead to depression and anxiety. For this reason, it’s indispensable to learn the causes of stress and ways you can deal with it.