Five Common Causes of Stress

We all deal with some measure of stress in our lives and can usually manage it well enough. Excessive stress can cause serious health problems, however, including depression, anxiety disorders and increased risk of stroke or heart attack. Stress is caused by our instinctive fight-or-flight response when confronted with danger. In the short run, it's very useful because it provides adrenaline and energy to keep moving. Over time, however, it exacts a heavy price and extended periods of stress are never good for one's physical or emotional health. The biggest causes are familiar to just about anyone in the grown-up world.

Money

• Money is probably the biggest cause of stress. It can entail money owed (such as debts or mortgage payments), money needed (such as college funds and home refurnishing) or money in the process of being made (such as bonuses, stocks and the value of a home). Because money is so important to our families' security and our ability to function in society, any doubt or disruption about it creates countless anxieties that can be very difficult to simply excuse away.

Work

• Work-related stress is, in part, tied to money-related stress. If you're under the threat of losing your job or your company is struggling to stay afloat, you may suffer considerable stress about your future. But work-related stress can also occur when things are good. If you're working on a major project in which you have invested quite a bit of your energy, the concerns and fears over its successful completion can lead to additional stress. Competition with colleagues or coworkers is another key point of job-related stress, as is the effort to balance work with other aspects of your life.

Health

• Concerns over health--either yours or a loved one's--contribute significantly to stress. In the most immediate sense, an illness or injury represents the possibility of death, which creates anxiety as a matter of course. On a subtler level, the thought of health care bills--doctor's fees, hospital costs, concerns over medical coverage--feeds back into financial concerns about money (and where it's going to come from).

Relationships

• The ending of a relationship--a divorce, a break-up or the like--leaves a significant void in one's life, lending doubts on the certainty of the future along with emotional pain and anguish. But maintaining successful relationships can also be stressful, as we work to devote time to our spouses and loved ones in the midst of our various other obligations.

Political/Social Problems

• Larger global events have a profound effect on people's stress levels. Terrorist attacks, wars overseas, the status of the government and its ability to successfully address issues of great concern can all lead to fear about the future, fears for our safety and fears for the perseverance of ideals that we value. Stress follows as a matter of course.