What causes stress?
Stress can be caused by many different things. On a scientific level, a stress response happens when we enter a situation that makes us feel pressured, threatened, or scared. This causes our bodies to release the hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
Adrenaline increases your heart rate and blood pressure, while cortisol increases the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. Typically, hormone levels return to normal once a stressful event has passed. In people who experience stress regularly, cortisol and adrenaline are constantly being released, meaning that you’re always in “fight or flight” mode.
Common causes of stress
The situations or circumstances that cause the body’s fight or flight response vary from person to person. Typically, stress occurs when we feel overwhelmed by a situation and not in control. This is why stress is associated with big life changes, high levels of responsibility, and circumstances outside of your control such as illness.
You might feel high levels of stress in the following situations:
- Difficulties at school, work, or university e.g. heavy workload, upcoming examination or review
- Losing your job or failing an exam
- Money worries e.g. being in debt, struggling to pay rent
- Illness or death of a loved one
- Living with a long-term illness
- Breakdown of a relationship
- Going through pregnancy and childbirth
- Persistent issues/conflicts with family, friends, neighbour, or co-workers
Sometimes one event or project that is dragged out over a long period can cause huge amounts of stress. If you are planning a wedding, trying to find a new job, or moving house, you might feel particularly worried and overwhelmed during this period, and find it difficult to focus on other things.
The stress cycle
Though stress is brought on by external circumstances, it can be worsened by how your body and brain react. Experiencing the physical symptoms of stress – muscle pains, headaches, racing heart, difficulty sleeping – might worsen your emotional reaction, which could in turn to lead to a change in behaviour e.g. avoiding social situations, being irritable.
Being aware of the external causes of this cycle can help break the pattern of your symptoms – often it’s simply a case of being kinder to yourself.
If you would like to speak with a GP about stress make an appointment with Doctor Care Anywhere. You can also use our wellbeing tool, MyHealth with tips and resources for improving your mental health.