The Causes of Stress and Anxiety and How to Avoid Them

When you’re feeling stress and anxiety, it can feel like the world is against you. But the truth is that stress and anxiety are responses to real-world circumstances. When you are stressed or anxious, your body has an increased response to danger. This natural reaction happens whether the danger is real or imagined. Unfortunately, we now live in a society with high amounts of stress and anxiety. Statistically speaking, most people experience some level of stress on a regular basis. However, with more fast-paced lifestyles and increasingly demanding careers being commonplace, this statistic doesn’t exactly make us optimistic about our future as a society. But don’t despair! It is possible to identify the sources of your stress and anxiety and take actionable steps to prevent their occurrence in future situations. The key is to understand why these feelings creep up so frequently in our lives so they don’t have such a negative impact on our day-to-day activities going forward. Here, we will explore the various causes of stress and anxiety and how you can avoid them moving forward...

What is Stress?

Stress is the byproduct of any situation that causes pressure on your body and mind. While some stress is normal and even necessary for growth, too much can take a serious toll on your health. Stress can come from any number of sources, including work, relationships, finances, and health issues. It's a normal response that occurs whenever we face a demand that requires us to stretch ourselves beyond our current limits. While stress can be motivating, it can also be destructive if you don’t manage it properly. Over time, consistent stress has been shown to increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, and a host of other physical and mental health issues.

Anxiety and Its Causes

Anxiety is defined as an intense feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease. While everyone experiences these feelings from time to time, for some, anxiety becomes a regular and destructive way of life. When you’re experiencing this level of worry, nervousness, or unease, your body is responding to what it perceives as a threat. This might be a real danger, such as a pending business presentation, or it may be something that is less threatening or even imagined, like a fear of spiders. Your body reacts to anxiety in a variety of ways. Your heart rate increases, your blood pressure rises, your breath shortens, and your levels of stress hormones (like cortisol) increase. These changes make it easier for you to react to whatever is causing you stress and get you out of the situation as quickly as possible.

Change-Based Stress and Anxiety

When you experience change in your life, you may be more prone to experiencing stress and anxiety. This is especially true if this change is something you have little control over. When a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness like cancer, it’s only natural to feel some amount of stress and anxiety. After all, you’re now faced with the task of adjusting to a new reality. When you’re forced to make a mid-level to major life change (such as getting a new job or ending a relationship), your body experiences the same biochemical responses as if you were actually in danger. For some, this can lead to an anxiety disorder, which we will discuss in the next section.

Relationship-Based Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety can also be caused by relationship stress. The dissolution of a marriage or romantic relationship, a strained relationship with a friend or family member, or a difficult working relationship can all lead to significant stress and anxiety. If your partner or spouse is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, this can trigger anxiety in you. Likewise, if you break up with a significant other or divorce your spouse, it can cause anxiety in you. If you have a strained relationship with a friend or family member, you might be more prone to experiencing stress and anxiety. If you have a difficult working relationship, you might experience stress and anxiety, as well.

Career-Based Stress and Anxiety

If you work in an occupation that is extremely stressful, you’re more likely to feel anxious on a regular basis. Occupations that are often associated with high stress and anxiety include the following: - Doctors and nurses - People in these professions regularly deal with life-or-death situations and have to respond quickly when a serious problem arises. - Firefighters - Members of firefighting crews often experience dramatic, life-or-death situations, as well. - Military personnel - People serving in the armed forces regularly face extreme danger as part of their job description. If you work as a journalist, public relations or communications specialist, or in any other occupation that regularly forces you to face deadlines, you’re also more likely to experience stress and anxiety.

School/Education-Based Stress and Anxiety

If you’re a student and regularly experience stress and anxiety because of your studies, you’re not alone. In fact, more than half of all college students report experiencing at least moderate stress levels as a result of their academic pursuits. You may experience higher stress levels as a result of one or more of the following: - A challenging course load - If you’re taking on a course load that is significantly more rigorous than what you’re accustomed to, you’re at increased risk of experiencing stress and anxiety. - Increased financial burden - If your education is putting a significant strain on your finances, you may be more prone to feelings of stress and anxiety.

Environment-Based Stress and Anxiety

If you live or work in an area that is experiencing extreme weather (like a natural disaster like a hurricane, tornado, flood, or earthquake), you may be at an increased risk of experiencing stress and anxiety. Additionally, if you live in an area with high crime rates or a significant amount of pollution, you may also be more likely to experience stress and anxiety.

Bottom line

Although stress and anxiety are natural and healthy responses to stressful situations, it’s important to manage these feelings as best as you can. If you notice that you’re regularly experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety, it’s time to start exploring potential causes. Once you identify the sources of your stress and anxiety, you can take actionable steps to prevent them in the future.

Conclusion

The causes of stress and anxiety are varied and can be difficult to identify. This is especially true if you’re experiencing significant levels of stress and anxiety that could potentially be the result of a serious anxiety disorder. If you’re feeling some signs and symptoms of stress and anxiety on a frequent basis, it’s important to pinpoint the sources of your stress and anxiety. Doing so can help you reduce the amount of stress and anxiety in your life and lead to a healthier, happier existence.