Definition: Stress is the body's reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or

emotional adjustment or response.

Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, nervous,
or anxious.

Stress is caused by an existing stress-causing factor or "stressor."

Dealing with a serious illness or caring for someone who is can cause a great deal of stress.

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Definition of Stress
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Stress: Forces from the outside world impinging on the individual. Stress is a normal part of
life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, stress can cause us significant problems

Biggest Causes of Stress - Stress relief tips -

A definition of stress - Ways to relieve stress

One of the biggest causes of stress in our lives is our beliefs, our attitudes, and our
thoughts - our very selves!

How we handle life's various challenges is very much determined by the way we think - by
our unconscious thoughts and by our underlying attitudes towards challenges and changes.

Each of us has our own unique way of dealing with stress and for gaining control of our lives.
Some of us go for the white knuckle approach every time - we cling tight to the hard work
approach to living. Some of us seem permanently wired with tension, as if the need for fight
or flight was forever imminent. Still, some simply grasp their stress bal and squeeze, hoping
to ease the tensions of everyday stress. Stress can be fought on a number of different fronts –
what works for one person might not work for another.
For others internal stress seems minimal - as if they have 'just another brick in the wall'
approach to life. Maybe they are far more optimistic in their outlook and so are better
prepared for confronting challenges when they appear?

Are our thoughts and beliefs really one of the biggest causes of stress in our lives?

Whatever your views and ideas about stress, this selection of articles outlines various
approaches to life's knocks, bumps and stresses.

"Situations, circumstances or any stimulus that is perceived to be

a threat is referred to as a stressor, or that which causes or
promotes stress."

(Brian Luke Seaward)

The causes of stress are known as stressors and there are literally hundreds of
different types of stressors. Any event in life that a person finds threatening,
difficult to cope with or causes excess pressure can be a potential cause of stress.
It is important to bear in mind that stress is an individualistic, subjective
experience and therefore what one person finds stressful another may not.
Stressors can be broken down roughly into either external or internal (or a mixture
of both.)

1. External Stressors
a) Major Life Events
Research by Psychiatrists Drs Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe revealed a list of
common causes of stress that most people would find stressful. They called this
scale the Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment Scale. The scale is a list of 45
stressors each given a number of points, with the most stressful at the top of the list
(death of a spouse) and the least stressful at the bottom of the scale (a minor
violation of the law). The research indicates that if your total score is more than
150 points the chances are that it could have an impact on your health. A score of
over three hundred points in one year indicates that you have a high risk of
developing a stress related health problem.

One of the weaknesses of the Holmes and Rahe Social Readjustment scale is that it
doesnt take into account the individuals personality, their perception of how
difficult the stressor is, nor does it take into account how long the stressor
continues for; the scale just gives a single number for each stressor. However, it s
known that the longer a stressor continues, then the more likely it is to cause stress
and that the individuals perception of an event is the key to whether they will find
a situation stressful or not.

For example, if a person is happy living in their house, theyve lived there for a
number of years, have developed close friends in the area and do not want to move
but are forced to move because their home is being repossessed, then they are
going to find the event of moving infinitely far more stressful than a person who
has lived in their home for a short time, next to a very noisy, difficult neighbour
and who wants to move to get away from the noise.

To help overcome some of the drawbacks of the Holmes and Rahe Social
Readjustment scale Professor Cary Cooper, of The University Manchester Institute
of Science and Technology (UMIST), has upgraded it by allocating a scale of 1 -
10 points for each event, so allowing a persons perception of how stressful the
event is, to be taken into account. We have included a copy of Professor Coopers
modified version in the course materials for you to view and use.

Click here for Cooper's Life Stress Inventory

b) Daily Hassles
"Any idiot can face a crisis its this day-to-day living that wears you
out." (Anton Chekov)

The majority of causes of stress that we face on a day-to-day basis are not as
extreme as life events. The day-to-day causes of stress are called daily hassles;
they are those daily, minor irritations such as misplacing our car keys, traffic jams,
minor arguments with family/colleagues, etc. Research by Lazarus and Folkman
(1984), at the University of California, indicated that it was the daily hassles rather
than the major life events that affected us the most. Life events do not occur every
day, but daily hassles do; its the constant, daily frustration caused by these hassles
that cause us the most stress, because they occur so regularly and therefore can
undermine our health.

Some Examples of Daily Hassles

 Misplacing keys  Bureaucracy  Excess noise
 Arguments  Waiting  Inconsiderate people

 Traffic jams  Loneliness  Difficult neighbours

 Time pressures  Queuing  Car breakdown

 Lack of sleep  Pollution  Meal Preparation

 Fear of Crime  Gossip  Job dissatisfaction

 Shopping  Relatives  Office Politics

 Problems with children

2. Internal Stressors

"Stress resides neither in the situation nor in the person; it

depends on a transaction between the two."

(Dr Richard Lazarus PhD)

We tend to think that stress is solely caused by external events, situations and
people, yet this is not strictly correct. Research has found that the Transactional
Model of Stress is more accurate. This model says that stress is caused by a
transaction, ie there is an interaction between the stressor, our view of the stressor
and our perceived ability to cope with it. Its our own internal beliefs, attitudes,
interpretations, perceptions and other factors, in combination with the external
events that tend to create stress. Internal factors which influence how we perceive
stress include our:

 Beliefs  Low assertion  Perception

 Expectations  Low self esteem  Perfectionism

 Locus of control  People pleasing  Personality

Examples of Some Causes of Stress

Physical Stressors Work Stressors

 Sleep debt  Commuting

 Excess/to little exercise  Time pressures

 Poor diet  Job insecurity

 Drug misuse  Excess working hours

 Alcohol misuse  Workplace bullying

 Excess heat  Company takeovers

 Excess caffeine  Understaffing

 Chronic hyperventilation  Conflicts with colleagues

 Excess cold  Low pay

 Illness  Role ambiguity

 Smoking  Delegation problems

 Hypoglycaemia  Lack of work recognition

 Lack of relaxation  Poor support/supervision

 Surgery  Workaholic

 Chronic pain Family Stressors

Psychological Stressors  Caring for a chronically ill relative

 Excess anger  Partner with health problems

 Unrealistic beliefs  Partner with alcohol/drug problems

 Excess pessimism  Relationship difficulties

 Health worries  Arguments with children

 Unrealistic expectations  Bereavement

 Excessive worrying  Children leaving home

 Unhappy childhood Social Stressors

 Unemployment  Fear of crime

 Financial problems  Living in an urban area

 Perfectionism  Poverty

 Loneliness  Low social support

 Low self esteem  Bureaucracy/red tape

 Low levels of assertion  Rude, aggressive, unhelpful people

 People pleasing  Victim of crime

 Boredom  Problem neighbours

 Negative self talk  Racial harassment

 Personality

 Rigid thinking style

 Excessive self criticism

 Exams

 Giving talks/presentations

Environmental Stressors

 Pollution

 Excess noise

 Poor housing

 Damp conditions

 Traffic jams