Understanding common causes of stress
From the book – Chapter 7: Stress and the Body
Common causes of stress
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Work or study: heavy workload, job insecurity, conflict, exams, perfectionism
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Money: debt, low income, unexpected costs
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Relationships: conflict, loneliness, separation, caregiving
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Life changes: moving, marriage, a new baby, retirement, bereavement
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Health: illness, pain, worry about disease
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Environment: noise, crowding, unsafe neighbourhoods, discrimination
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Information overload: constant news and notifications
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Inner pressure: unrealistic standards, fear of failure, constant self-criticism
Read the full chapter – Chapter 7: Stress and the Body
Stories from real life
- The Exam Season Knot – Priya, seventeen, lives in Jaipur and is two months away from her board exams. Every evening, when she opens her chemistry book, her heart starts to…
- Running on Empty – Rahul, thirty-four, manages a software team in Pune. For two years he has said yes to every request, working until ten at night and answering messages…
- A New Country, A Heavy Heart – Mei Lin moved from Singapore to Manchester three months ago for her husband's job. She left behind her friends and her work as a teacher. At…
- Meera, Age 38 – Meera worked long hours, cared for ageing parents, and managed the household. She felt rushed and tense. She slept late, skipped meals, and drank multiple cups…
Shloks
- Bhagavad Gita 2.14 – Contacts with the world give cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go; they are not lasting. Endure them, O Bharata.
More on this topic: Stress – causes, symptoms and how to reduce stress at work and in exams
More questions
- Understanding burnout – stress
- What is the difference between stress and anxiety?
- Understanding adjustment disorder – stress
- Understanding thinking differently about stress
- The HPA axis involves which three structures?
- Which hormone is released during stress and is called the "stress hormone"?
- What is true: chronic stress can lead to all of the following EXCEPT…?
- What is true: the sympathetic nervous system activates during…?
- What is true: healthy stress management includes all EXCEPT…?
- What does Bhagavad Gita 2.14 mean for the mind?
- How to reduce stress – healthy ways that work
- What is burnout and how do you recover?