Causes of stress: What makes us stronger and what makes us weaker

Often, stress is related to being overwhelmed at work - too many assignments, or assignments that are too difficult, make life hard for us. But conflicts and an unhealthy work environment can also cause a high level of stress. In addition, there are the challenges of our current age: constant accessibility thanks to the internet, cell phones and tablets, along with more flexibility, pose new challenges for us. At the same time, it can also be very stressful not to be challenged enough, to feel like you’re not doing anything worthwhile. Constant fighting in our personal lives, health problems, cramped quarters and existential financial need can all lead to personal crises. In addition to these everyday, ongoing stresses, sometimes there are also unforeseeable, uncontrollable life events like the death of a family member that throw us off track.

Many different situations can cause stress. The reactions are just as varied. For instance, one person might perspire when he has to give a speech. Another trembles with rage when he’s stuck in traffic.  Some stressors, on the other hand, are very stressful for almost everyone - for instance an accident, the death of a family member, or losing a job.

How stressful a situation is also depends on your individual assessment and how you deal with the situation. Something that stresses one person out may leave another unfazed. So one person might start ranting when the train is late, while another calmly drinks a cup of coffee and watches the other travelers. The reasons for these differing responses have to do with our childhood experiences, and what patterns we saw for evaluating them. To some extent, our stress resistance is also genetic. Still, there are some characteristics that can protect you from stress - for instance social skills or a healthy constitution.