You’re probably all too familiar with all the things that can stress you out—money woes, long commute relationship troubles, health issues and more. But anxiety and stress really don’t just stem from the obvious or are always from negative sources. There are a number of things that lead to chronic strains and low-grade challenges that don’t necessarily overwhelm your senses at the moment, but can take a toll eventually in your overall being in the long run. Curious? Below are some of the unexpected and sometimes unlikely reasons why you feel stressed out or agitated. By knowing how to recognize these factors as they are, you are better equipping yourself in handling them later on.
1.Your significant other/your partner in life.
Even if you are in a really happy and comfortable relationship with your spouse or live-in partner, you’re still prone to doing things that will get on each other’s nerves. During the initial stage, it could be just about boundaries, personal space and habits—like whether to leave the toilet seat up or not, or if you were to squeeze the toothpaste tube from the middle or the bottom. Later on, couples might clash regarding parenting style, financial issues or finding a unified stance so you can face these problems together. So what is the ultimate key to surviving your life together? The answers lie probably in finding the right balance; spending the right amount of time with each other (not too little and not too much), being okay with making compromises, keeping your communication channels open, and remembering to acknowledge your love for each other on an every day basis.
2. Everyday nuances that annoy you.
It’s always good advice to learn not to sweat the small things out; but then again that is easier said than done. Oftentimes, it’s the littlest things that create the most impact on people’s moods: the incessant phone calls from your insurance provider, the rude
cashier at the local store, the precious time you lose just looking for a parking space. People let these minute details or things bother them because somehow those things trigger unconscious fears—fear of being deemed as irresponsible, fear of being bullied, and fear of being tagged as tardy at all times for example. When these happens, sometimes the best thing to do is to step back and tell yourself that you are doing your best given the not so ideal circumstances.
3. You are getting affected by other people’s stress.
Did you know that stress is highly contagious? So when someone close to you or someone in your circle is getting distressed over something, chances are you’ll somehow experience the same. When this happens, try saving yourself by controlling your own emotions when empathizing with someone’s plight.
4. Social media
Thanks to Facebook, almost everyone is getting updated with the lives of just about, well, everyone. But did you know that based on a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center, being active on social networks comes with its own downside? It can make you aware of stressful scenarios in your friends’ and/or contacts’ lives, which in turn can put some additional stress in your own life.
5 .Distraction
A distraction can work both ways—it can be both a beautiful and a stressful thing. Distractions are great if you need to take your mind off from stressful situations or difficult decisions that you need to make. However, it can also be a burden if it actually derails you from enjoying the things around you and when that happens, it can lead to stress on your part.
6.Your childhood
A not so pleasing series of events that transpired during your childhood can continue to affect your stress levels and overall health even into adulthood. In 2014, a team from the University of Wisconsin conducted a study that showed that traumatic childhood experiences may change some parts of the brain that are responsible for processing human emotions and stress levels. The way you were brought up during your younger years may also have an impact in your everyday angst.
7. Your expectations
Unmet expectations can be such huge stress triggers. If things don’t go your way, do you tend to get all antsy and act defensively, or you just tend to roll with the punches and create a plan B? If you’re more of the former, then you could be contributing to a mindset that’s full of pessimism and victimization which can in the long run, wear you down and zap you of energy. It is said that your level of serenity is inversely proportional to your level of expectations as to how things or events in your life will pan out. However, that does not mean that you should stop being ambitious or you’ll settle for less than what
you actually want, it just means trying to be realistic about your goals.
