Potential Sources of Stress

1. Spiritual Walk

a. Salvation

b. Personal devotions

i. Prayer

ii. Meditation

iii. Contemplation

iv. Bible reading

c. Church attendance

d. Obedience

e. Service / Ministry

2. Health Considerations

a. Diet

b. Exercise

c. Sleep

d. Addictions

e. Neurochemical issues

f. Injury

3. Work

4. Finances

5. Legal issues

6. Family

a. Family problems

b. Balancing work and family

c. Elder care

d. Child care

7. Holidays / Significant dates

8. Unfulfilled life expectations

9. Change in personal habits

10. Decision making – faced with a major decision and unable to make it. Delay or passing the buck. Made a decision and can’t quit worrying about it. Made a wrong decision and can’t get over it.

11. Feelings of exclusion

a. Prejudice – unreasonable predilection for or objection to something without just grounds or evidence

b. Bigotry – obstinate and unreasoning attachment to one’s own belief and opinions with intolerance of beliefs opposed to them.

c. Racism – belief that one’s own psychocultural traits are superior to other’s.

d. Sexism – prejudice or discrimination based on sex. Behavior, conditions or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex.

e. Cliques – narrow, exclusive circles or groups of persons usually held together by common interests, views or purposes.

12. Time management

13. Disorganization / Unreasonable need to organize

14. Failure / Success

15. Significant life adjustments – Any critical life changes, both pleasant and unpleasant.

a. Grief and loss

b. Change management

c. Promotion / demotion

d. Marriage / divorce

e. Romance gain / loss

f. Pregnancy / loss of child (death or empty nest)

g. Technology / Systems

16. Psychological considerations

a. Perfectionism - While positive self-expectations motivate you to realize your goals, unrealistic expectations can lead to setting yourself up for failure and a lowering of self-esteem.

b. Personality / Temperament

c. Spiritual gifts

d. Mental illness

e. Feeling unattractive

f. Bored

g. Challenged

h. Mental patterns:

i. Catastrophism – making mountains out of molehills

ii. False humility - constant attention to the needs of others can lead to dissatisfaction when no-one looks after our needs

iii. Narcisism – the desire to always have the love and admiration of all people important to us.

iv. Misplaced pride – the desire to be thoroughly competent at all times.

v. Externalism – The belief that external factors cause all misfortune.

vi. Sitcom syndrome – the belief or desire that events will always turn out the way we want them to and that people will always do what we want. A lack of patience; the feeling that things should be resolved by now.

vii. False fatalism – the belief that we cannot escape the consequences of our sin; that past mistakes will inevitably control what will happen in the future.

viii. Time warp syndrome – the inability to remain in one’s proper time. Improper concern over the future or the past.

17. Anger management

18. Communication difficulties - Poor communication leads to conflicts that can escalate into increased frustration and open hostility.