HealthInfo Canterbury
Causes of stress
Stress can be caused by a major change in your life, like divorce, being made redundant, moving house or the death of someone close to you. Or it can be caused by a lot of seemingly small problems, like feeling unappreciated at work or arguing with a family member.
We're all affected by negative events in different ways. Whether your stress is caused by something big or by something that seems small to other people, it's still stress.
Difficult relationships can make us feel stressed, especially if they don't seem to be getting any better and we don't think we can change things or escape the problem.
Sometimes our jobs cause stress. You may feel under pressure because you have to work long hours and get little recognition from your boss. Financial problems and debt, or the challenges of just trying make ends meet, can be very stressful.
Often people try to relieve their stress through smoking and drinking alcohol, but these often add to their feelings of stress.
Sometimes we can't pinpoint exactly what's causing our stress. But whatever's causing it, it's still stress.
On the next page: Self-care for stress
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed October 2020.
SourcesImage courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Review key: HISTS-111503
