Aug 10, 2021

What causes stress?

Stress picture

There are many sources of stress that can affect how we feel emotionally.  During our first aid for mental health courses I ask the candidates to write down the things in their lives that they feel contribute to their stress.  Work and family are mentioned by many, along with financial pressure and ill health.  There are however other sources that we must consider.


If we break the sources of stress into five categories, below are some of the examples that candidates frequently write down.


Life Changes

  • Buying or moving home.
  • Divorce or a change in a relationship.
  • Getting married.
  • Having children.
  • Health scares or illness.
  • Bereavement.
  • Legal problems.


Work

  • Starting a new job or promotion.
  • Heavy workload.
  • Poor relationships with colleagues or management.
  • Redundancy or job uncertainty.


Emotional

  • Pressure from peers or family.
  • Coping with uncertainty.
  • Conflicts in cultural beliefs and values.
  • Bullying.


Physical

  • Alcohol or drug abuse.
  • Bad diet.
  • Working shifts.
  • Over exercising.


Environmental

  • Poor housing
  • Trouble with neighbours.
  • Financial pressure.
  • Social isolation.


This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list.  It does however help us to look at various areas of our lives and assess if we are being subjected to excess stress in any of them.  Once we have identified where our stress is coming from, we can then start to work on ways to relieve it.


When I ask candidates to describe how they feel when they’re stressed they use words like overwhelmed, angry, sad, worry, frustration, anxious and racing thoughts are usually mentioned.  It is important that we take some time to look inwards and understand how we feel when we are stressed.  We can then try to use coping mechanisms to help us deal with it before it becomes a problem.


What are the long-term effects of stress?

We have already seen that many things can cause us to experience the effects of stress.  Short term stress isn’t necessarily to be concerned about.  However, the effects of long-term stress can put an individuals health at risk.


Some long-term effects of stress include:


  • Stress can lead to mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and personality disorders.


  • Cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.


  • Immune system problems such as lower resistance to infection and skin conditions.


  • Excessive behaviours such as alcohol and substance misuse.


  • Digestive problems such as appetite loss, ulcers and diarrhoea.



If you are experiencing the effects of stress, there are some things you can do to help yourself cope:


  • Realise when stress is becoming a problem and identify the underlying causes.


  • Build emotional strength and re-organise lifestyle to tackle the causes.


  • Eat a healthy diet, avoid skipping meals and try to adopt regular eating patterns.


  • Make time to relax and socialise with friends and family.


  • Set goals or challenges to help build confidence.


  • Avoid unhealthy habits such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption.


  • Helping other people can relieve stress and help to put problems into perspective.


  • Look for the positives in life, rather than the causes of stress.


It may also be worth having a chat with your GP to see if they can help you with therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), other talking therapies or medication.


Remember, it’s ok to not feel ok. It isn’t ok to not ask for help.


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