Every human being, to a greater or lesser extent, suffers from stress and the complications it causes. Even those of us who believe that we are easy-going and placid have our triggers, and while we may, on the surface, keep a serene face on things, we accumulate stress in situations that we find problematic. You may not notice when you are dealing with an excess of stress – there is a reason it gets called “the silent killer” – but be sure of one thing; you, we, all of us carry some stress for one reason or another.
Stress is, in many ways, unavoidable as it is a natural reaction to a trying situation. So, we will all experience it here and there. That’s inevitable and, by itself, it isn’t something to be concerned about. It is, however, an issue if we deny its existence and go on with life as though everything’s just fine. Below are a few examples of stressful situations that arise in most of our lives, and some tips on how to deal with the stress that they cause.
Interpersonal relationships: Why we suppress our concerns
It’s awful to have to say it, but the main source of stress in many of our lives is, simply, “other people”. A person doesn’t have to be behaving maliciously or even particularly unreasonably to cause your stress – we can end up with problems simply due to a clash of priorities and personalities. This can happen with someone we live with, a family member, a co-worker – any other person whose life intersects with ours. If you’re experiencing conflict with another person, it’s essential to arrive at an agreement where their priorities and yours can both be met without infringing on one another’s needs. It’s a matter of setting up some healthy personal boundaries. It’s common for people to ignore their own concerns for reasons of politeness, but sometimes this can be a direct cause of stress – so always seek resolution while resisting the tendency to people-please.
Financial worries: How they become chronic
Money is often central to the most stressful situations in our lives; usually because we don’t have enough of it. It may also be that we don’t know how best to allocate the money that we do have, but either way let’s acknowledge that money and stress are often found in very close proximity to one another. We’re also highly likely to try and suppress money worries; burying ourselves in work to try and improve our situation without considering the root cause of the stress.
It may be that we are overcommitted and need to reshuffle our finances. We might benefit from seeking out the best bankruptcy attorney and getting a fresh start. Or we may simply need to hire an accountant to oversee our financial affairs. Either way, don’t ignore a financial concern.
Health issues: Time is of the essence
A health concern is never a pleasant thing to have to confront head-on. Most of us, at one time or another, have probably reacted to a nagging pain or repetitive cough by shrugging and deciding that it’s best to give it time to resolve itself. Indeed, sometimes time is all it will take, but it would be unwise to choose this option every time you have a health concern. Intervening quickly, and speaking to a doctor to discover the source of your symptom, is best for any persistent or recurrent health issues. Waiting to see if an issue will resolve itself could unfortunately allow time for a small problem to grow bigger. Also, not knowing the cause of an ailment will keep the issue at the back of your mind causing unnecessary mental and emotional stress, so look after yourself and at least get an annual physical exam.