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Causes of stress

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Stress can be caused by a major change in your life. For example, getting divorced, 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. For example, feeling unappreciated at work or arguing with a family member.

We are 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 is still stress.

Difficult relationships can make us feel stressed. This is especially so if they do not seem to be getting any better and we do not 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 to 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 cannot pinpoint exactly what is causing our stress. But whatever is causing it, it is still stress.

On the next page: Self-care for stress

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed December 2023.

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