What causes stress?

Stress is an individual response. What causes stress in one person may not cause stress in another. But typically it is the point at which the pressure of dealing with all the issues confronting us gets beyond our ability to cope that stress will be a likely outcome.

The key to answering the question ‘what causes stress’ – i.e. what can trigger the ‘stress response’ – is therefore to ask yourself (honestly) what you feel threatened by, or that might be causing pressures you’re finding it increasingly difficult to cope with. For example:

• Are you clear about your role at work?

• Are you happy with your manager?

• Do you know what’s going on?

• Do you have problems at home?

• Are you always running to keep up with everything?

• Are you sleeping properly?

• Do you have a healthy diet?

• Do you manage to take regular exercise?

If you have issues with more than one or two of these or similar ‘stressors’, the chances are that they could be contributing to your feelings of stress.