Stress is inevitable, and whilst we may sometimes be able tochange stressful situations, it is impossible to always avoid all stressfulsituations. Stress is the result of our physical and psychological reactions tochanges in our environment. In certain amounts, stress can be beneficial,pushing us to achieve our goals. However, too much stress will lead to negativeemotional and physical reactions as it is our body’s way of telling us that weneed a break and that we are unable to cope.

There are some 60 over different causes of stress, with moresources being added to the list with time. This is not surprising given therate of change that we are facing in our lives. Not all stress is resultantfrom negative changes; positive changes in our lives may increase our stresslevels as well. Whilst we are not able to avoid all stressful situations, weare certainly capable of learning how to deal with them.

A stressor is something which creates or increases stress, andthere are different varieties of factors that cause stress. We identify the top5 stressors that most people face, and highlight them for you to make it easierfor you to spot your own personal stressors.

Cause #1: Monetary

Money may not make the world go round, but it is certainlyessential for a certain measure of happiness. Financial stresses are one of theleading causes of stress due to the increased standards of living that peoplewant to achieve. Money is needed to finance the purchase of a new home or a newcar. Further, a loss in inflow of money is also a primary cause of stress.These include the loss of a job, or the potential of being retrenched.

It is not hard to understand after all. Money is needed tosend your children to college, or to pay for medical expenses, and the variousother needs that we have. 

Cause #2: Occupational

Closely tied into the first stressor is that of our jobs.Our jobs cause us stress as we need to worry about meeting our performancetargets, or impressing the boss for a pay rise. Or it could simply be officepolitics, or a fear of being retrenched. A merger with another company coulddrastically change our working conditions, and the list goes on. There arecountless factors and reasons that cause occupational stress, both external andinternal.

Cause #3: Performance

This is a situation which many at some point or another intheir lives have faced. A sudden call for a speech; lunch with the boss;meeting a potential date; driving on the highway for the first time; finalexaminations and the other monumental events that we go through cause us greatamounts of stress. There is a need to perform, to do well and be accepted,leading to greater anxiety. These may even be events that we are familiar withand prepared for, but when placed in the spot still causes stress.

Cause #4: Bereavement

Be it the death of a pet, a loss of a relationship, or thedeath of a life partner, these are not events that occur commonly. Whilst thedeath of a loved one is not something that we experience in our lives everyday,it is probably one of the stressors with the greatest impact.

Cause #5: Personal

This refers to stresses that are largely internal, thoughthey may be triggered by our external environment. For example, we have a needfor a certain measure of control over our lives. We like to think that we havea choice over what we want to do, when we want to do it. When this sense ofcontrol is missing, we find our stress levels rising. Recall waiting for yourfriend who is late to arrive to catch a movie? These are events that are out ofour control, causing us to be subject to other people’s demands, and can be agreat source of stress.

Personal changes of any sort, positive or negative, alsocause a large amount of stress. The decision to get married, the birth of akid, or perhaps a legal case, these are all personal stressors.