Many possible reasons and factors may trigger stress in a person. But these causes or stressors may be classified into external and internal factors. External stressors, as the term implies, are factors that are coming from the environment the individual is in. The common external causes include family, work, relationship difficulties, financial problems, and major life changes.
On the contrary, causes of stress may also be self-generated and so we call them internal stressors. The common internal causes of stress may include pessimism or negative thinking, irrational self-talk, inability to accept uncertainty, perfectionism, and not trusting one’s abilities.
Sometimes we are the ones causing our own stresses in life. We may blame it on others or the situation at hand, but actually we do not realize that we may be personally creating the problem or even making it worse. A concrete example would be getting stressed because of budget shortage. This is a very common issue among many of us.
Some people put the blame on the many expenses at home while others may blame it on poor compensation at work. Did you ever assess yourself as to how you manage your finances? Before you find fault on other factors, evaluate first your own self. It could be that you have been recklessly splurging your money which led to scarcity of the budget.
Part of identifying the stress triggers is to recognize whether it is a personal issue or pressure caused by external factors. Let us elaborate more on the internal causes of stress so we would be aware of what are some issues we need to fix in our own selves to avoid stress.
Negative Self-Talk
Self-talk is considered as our internal thought language. Our conscious mind interprets and describes through verbal expressions or statements what it sees, thinks, and feels. It is manifested verbally through the use of the first person “I” and in the present and future action. Positive and accurate self-talk allows the brain to function properly and in line with reality.
Irrational and negative self-talk causes stress and emotional disturbance. The words “never” and “cannot” are expressions of a pessimistic mind. Moreover, the modal verbs “ought to”, “should, and “must” are perfectionist words that may cause disappointment if the statement is not manifested.
If you keep telling yourself “When this project is submitted late, I know it will be my last day at work”, you are feeding your mind a misperception of the way things will turn out to be.
Turn those negative self-talks to positive statements instead. You might as well say “I know my boss will understand if I explain my side. It is better late than never.” Be conscious of the words and sentences you utter. Make sure that they do not mean or imply anything that can be interpreted as the end of the world or a total dead end.
Irrational and Distressing Thoughts
Negative self-talk is a product of negative thinking. Pessimism is always a hindrance to the things we want to achieve. A pessimistic person tends to overlook opportunities in life, and tends to bypass the solutions to problems in general.
Obviously, an individual who thinks more of the negative outcomes and consequences in life will really attract more of these misfortunes and personal tragedies. These kinds of people are very susceptible to high stress level. If you have pessimistic thoughts, you can start changing the way you think before you drown yourself in extreme feelings of stress and anxiety. Remember that what you think you are is what you really are.
Poor Ability to Conflict Resolution
Stress builds up in a person who is either too aggressive in decision-making and resolution or too passive in certain issues. There are people who just being aggressive instead of resolving issues with assertion which may lead to heated arguments with other individuals. At work, if you keep on pressing your opinion without considering other’s ideas, you will provoke conflict in the situation.
There are also people who are way too passive and submissive that they do not know how to say “no” which will prompt others to manipulate them and the situation. If you just keep on accepting tasks in the workplace and carry the burden all by yourself, stress will never leave you.
