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How Do I Identify Three Causes of Stress?

The outer influences that cause stress vary from person to person. While one individual may think working in a high-paced office environment is stressful, another may find himself comfortable in that setting. However, regardless of the outward trigger, the psychological causes of stress remain the same. The three main causes of stress are frustrations, conflicts and pressures. First, you must understand the differences between these causes, then you can identify and handle the stress accordingly.

  1. Frustrations

    • If you feel stressed, consider if you are experiencing any frustrations, because this can be a cause of stress. Frustrations can take on different forms. You can experience internal frustration from a lack of confidence, unrealistic goals and expectations, unwanted change and other things. Likewise, external events can cause frustrations. Job situations, relationships or health problems are also external stressors. Whether internal or external, these frustrations can cause significant stress in your life.

    Conflicts

    • Conflicts with co-workers, a significant other or family members can create stress. If you are having a conflict with someone close to you, understand that it may be the cause of your current stress. Also, an internal conflict may arise when you have taken on too much. If you have too many things conflicting for your attention, this can cause stress. Identify this if it's a problem, and try to reduce the amount of pressing responsibilities you have.

    Diet

    • If you are not facing any pressing frustrations of conflicts, your stress may simply come from a poor diet. Diets full of acidic foods, too much caffeine and sugar, and processed foods can be harmful to your body and result in stress. If you have determined that your diet may intensify your stress, consider incorporating stress-reducing foods into your diet. Some foods that have been shown to reduce stress include sushi, blueberries, broccoli, cantaloupe and almonds, according to Discovery Communications' Planet Green website.

    Reducing Stress

    • While knowing what causes your stress can relieve some of your concerns, it is also important to begin releasing the stress after it has been identified. Eating well, finding time to relax and sleeping properly are a few simple ways to reduce your level of stress. More complex methods include deep breathing, an exercise routine and finding ways to help others. You need to find the proper method or combination of methods to reduce stress now that you know what's causing it.

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