Stress is a part of life. Every day you face different kinds of stress, from a car pulling out in front of you in traffic, to the demands of a tight deadline at work, to an argument with your spouse. Your body reacts to stress with a rush of adrenaline, the "fight or flight" response that readies you for action. A certain amount of stress can be energizing, but prolonged stress can weaken the immune system, interfere with sleep and lead to symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches, according to Stanford University Professor Robert Sapolsky. Identifying the causes of your stress may help you to find ways to reduce or avoid your stress, or to find ways to handle it healthily.
Finances
Tough economic times can cause significant stress, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Job loss, worry over the future, mounting debt, as well as calls from creditors, or the loss of property through repossession, or the threat of such loss, add up to a lot of pressure that never seems to let up. Financial stress can lead to arguments with your spouse or family members and added anxiety about your job, multiplying your stress.
Relationships
Relationships cause stress, whether you've had an argument with a spouse or there's been an upheaval in your family. Some relationship stress derives from different expectations about the roles we play in relationships. Parents may expect grown children to continue to abide by the parents' wishes, while the grown children want to assert their independence. Siblings may expect brothers or sisters to take sides in a family argument.
Job
According to King County, Washington's Department of Mental Health, jobs are a source of stress for many Americans. Job stress can range from feelings of a loss of control, difficulties in getting along with co-workers, lack of support from your boss, doubts about your ability to do the job or dangers inherent in the job
Health
Health problems create mental as well as physical stress. Stress can derive from several factors: a feeling of loss of control over one's life, uncertainty about the future, frustration over an inability to do things you once enjoyed doing or anger that you are ill.
Change
Both good and bad changes can lead to stress, according to the Mayo Clinic. Common stressors of this type include marriage, a move, the birth of a child, a new job, buying or selling a home, children moving away or retirement.
Loss
Loss creates stress, whether the loss is a job, a family member, a friend or a spouse. The loss may be through death, divorce or estrangement or through a move away from familiar surroundings. The loss of possessions, such as a home through flood or fire, can also be stressful.
Social Conditions
Events in the world contribute to stress. After September 11, 2001, a national survey, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that 44 percent of Americans surveyed reported at least one symptom of post traumatic stress disorder three to five days after the terrorist attacks. Natural disasters, wars, mass murders and other tragedies affect almost everyone who hears about them, even persons not directly involved in the events.
