stress management

There are many situations which cause stress. Some are obvious, such as an excessive work-load, coping with a death or the break-up of a relationship. Others you may feel are just part of life and should be taken in your stride.

However, all of the following (and in no particular order) are classic stress-inducing situations and it is important to recognise them as such - especially if you are dealing with more than one at a time:

an excessive workload
an uncomfortable physical environment, eg, prolonged extremes of temperature or noise
not enough sleep
ill health
prolonged physical activity
financial difficulties
renovations
a change in your living/working patterns: leaving home, new flatmates, a new job
moving house
pregnancy
bad self-image: 'I'm too fat', '... too dumb', '... too ugly'
living/working/studying in an environment that is not of your culture
living/working/studying using a second language
hostile, or uncomfortable emotional environments, eg, restructuring, redundancy
a break-up of a relationship
the death or loss of a friend or relation.

© 2003 Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand