Stress and Relationships

You may or may not feel the stress you have. There are different types of stress. Some stress is acute, that is, it is caused by a one-time situation and is over. There is also stress caused by situations that re-occur. There are many situations in life that commonly cause stress. Research has shown that there are a number of stress-producing events that can happen in our life. If you have experienced one of these events within the past year, you should take stress-reducing action now. If you have experienced more than one of these, you can be certain that stress is working within you, even if you are unaware of it. Be prepared to make some changes so the stress won’t take its toll on you.

Here are the top 10 stress producing life events:

1. The death of a spouse or partner
2. Divorce
3. Separation
4. Being jailed
5. Death of a family member (parent, child, close relative)
6. Major illness (diagnosis in past six months)
7. Marriage
8. Being fired from your job
9. Reconciliation with estranged spouse or partner
10. Retirement

Here are some additional stress-producing events:

· Moving
· Bankruptcy
· Changing Jobs
· Changing schools
· Trouble with your boss
· Trouble with your marriage or relationship
· Taking out a loan

As you can see, many of the items on these lists can happen to everyone at one time or another. All of life’s major events, both good and bad, bring with them some stress. You can see why the first year of marriage is usually stressful for the couple. They have just been married and have moved into a home together, two of the top stress-producing life events. These stressors must be processed rationally or they will negatively impact your relationships.

Find out more about healthy relationshiprs through virtuous living at Relationship Repair