(Tiny Tips) – Causes of stress – When you realize you’re on the wrong track while traveling, do you feel stressed and immediately call Siri, or do you enjoy the opportunity for spontaneous discovery? None of the answers are wrong; it just goes to show that one person’s reason for panicking under stress may be another person’s risk-taking.
“Stress involves a huge, thick layer of interpretation,” said Alka Gupta, MD, co-director of the Integrated Health and Well-Being Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “It’s not really the so-called stressful event itself. , but how you react, which depends on your personality, what you’ve experienced in the past, and the strategies you’ve developed to deal with stressful situations,” you explain.
In the broadest sense, stress occurs when events cause us to feel overwhelmed and out of control.
“Stress can have many causes, including trauma, difficult family relationships, health issues, and conversations in your own head,” says Michelle Dorsett, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an attending physician at Benson Hospital. Michelle Dossett, Ph.D. Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “Even something we think of as a joy, like hosting a party, can be stressful.”
But the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2017 Stress in America Survey found that certain events can cause our blood pressure to spike; this year in particular, fear about the state of our country is a major stressor. Here are the most common reasons why we feel stressed.
From health to politics, the most common causes of stress
Two of the stressors that are sure to stress Americans the most: are politics and money
For the first time since APA conducted its first annual American Stress Survey in 2007, concerns about the country’s future have replaced worries about money. While the APA survey found 62% of Americans said they feel stressed about money, 63% of the nearly 3,500 Americans surveyed were more concerned about the political situation in the United States, citing concerns about health care (43%) and Economic (35%) concerns. ). , trust in government (32%) and terrorism (30%).
Money is a major source of stress, both broadly and domestically. In the APA survey, 28% said they were worried about high taxes, while 22% were concerned about job losses and low wages. Other money-related stressors:
- 66% are concerned about the cost of health insurance.
- 34% are worried about unexpected expenses.
- 30% said they were worried their pension would not be enough.
- 25% of people are unable to meet basic living needs.
Another common cause of stress: is working at home and in the office
Work is also a constant source of excitement. In the APA survey, work ranked third among major stressors: 61% of Americans cited it as a source of stress. “With everyone connected to their digital devices and people spending more time at work, even when they’re at home – it’s hard to disconnect,” Dr. Gupta. “This means we spend less time with family and friends, which increases stress.”
More stress statistics: A survey from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health In a 2016 study titled “The Workplace and Wellness,” 43 percent of adults surveyed said work had a negative impact on their stress levels had a negative impact. 20% of adults said they experienced a lot of work stress in the past 12 months.
Men and women: What causes us stress often differs
Women consistently report feeling more stressed than men. According to the APA survey, women rated their stress levels at 5.1 on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means “little or no stress” and 10 means “a lot of stress,” while men rated it at 4.4.
Women also tend to feel stressed about a variety of things: while only 25% of men say they feel stressed about issues such as hate crimes, war, and terrorism, the number of women saying they feel stressed about these things is higher, 10% more % above.
What if you don’t know what’s causing stress in your life, but you still feel overwhelmed?
It’s very common to feel stressed but not know exactly why. “I see this all the time,” Gupta said. She recommends discussing this with your doctor, counselor, or someone who knows you well. “By simply listening and probing further, I am often able to get to the heart of my patient’s pain.” In other cases, some form of counseling can provide relief. No matter what path you choose, “the key is to embrace openness and a willingness to explore,” says Gupta.
Can the sources of stress in your life be controlled?
Learning stress management techniques may be easier and more effective than trying to control the causes of stress. One adjustment that may help is when and how you use technology.
In the APA survey, 18% of Americans said technology is a very or somewhat important source of stress. Among those who admitted to frequently checking their email, text messages, or social media accounts, stress levels were even higher: 44% reported feeling more disconnected from friends and family, compared with only 25% of their calls.
65% of respondents believed that turning off electronic devices (digital detox) would be beneficial to their health, but only 28% said they actually managed to unplug. One way to reduce technology stress is to use your phone for short periods of time, whether at the dinner table, on the weekends, or after a certain time in the evening.
When it comes to other stressors, “it’s easy to avoid anything that causes you stress,” says Gupta. “But it’s more beneficial to learn strategies and tools for coping with stress, such as problem-solving, time management, and mindfulness.”
Resources We Love