The following potential stressors are regarded as carrying a very high risk of stress.

• Military combat
• Involvement in natural disaster
• Childhood abuse (physical or sexual)
• Death of spouse/partner
• Divorce/separation
• Imprisonment
• Death of close family member
• Personal injury or illness
• Getting married
• Loss of job
• Moving house

However, stress is a response, not an event, situation or person. The key is how well you are able to deal with events like these when life throws them at you. Some people are more susceptible to stress than others which makes them more likely to suffer a stress response when one of these trigger events happens.

Often, stress can be readily attributed to some trauma, as listed above, known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD). But, sometimes the cause(s) of stress is not known, even to the sufferer. This can be because it is a relatively unimportant issue that has persisted for a long time or persistent pressure from work or relationship(s), or perhaps it is an accumulation of different causes.

If you can remove a stressor from your life, do so. However, many stressors cannot be removed - you cannot un-bereave yourself - they are just part of life. But, you can always learn new ways of thinking and acting which will strengthen your resilience and your ability to manage and reduce your stress response.