Top 8 most stressful life events and how to bounce back
Explore the top 8 most common stressors that we will all experience throughout our lives. Plus, 5 ways to bounce back from these stressful life events.
We all experience stress sometimes. While some of it can be helpful, too much stress can wreak havoc on the body and mind.
Your body is designed to handle a certain amount of stress. However, if our bodies aren’t able to metabolize stress efficiently over time, chronic stress can take root. This can bring more serious health consequences.
Fortunately, you can support your body in recovering from daily stressors with simple actions and habits.
8 of the most stressful life events
Life can bring challenges that are tough to handle, and some events are particularly stressful. These can have an impact on our mental and physical health. Understanding these events and their potential effects can help us find ways to cope — and support others going through similar situations.
1. The loss of a loved one: Losing someone close to you, like a family member or a friend, can lead to profound grief. This can result in a range of emotions, including sadness, anger, and confusion. It can disrupt your daily life and lead to depression or anxiety.
2. The birth of a child: While the arrival of a new baby is often joyful, it can also be stressful. Adjusting to the demands of parenting can create anxiety for new parents.
3. A divorce or break-up: Ending a marriage or a long-term relationship can be one of life's most stressful experiences. Along with the emotional turmoil of separation, there can also be legal, financial, and child custody issues that compound matters.
4. Work-related issues: Job loss, heavy workloads, or conflicts with colleagues can lead to stress. This can affect your self-esteem, mental health, and overall wellbeing.
5. Major health condition: Being diagnosed with or undergoing treatment for a major health condition, such as cancer, heart disease, or chronic pain, can be very stressful. It can bring about fear, changes in lifestyle, and financial strain.
6. Moving: Relocating involves emotional stress. Leaving behind familiar surroundings, dealing with the logistics of moving, and adjusting to a new environment can be overwhelming.
7. Financial difficulties: Facing significant financial problems, such as debt, bankruptcy, or the loss of income, can lead to intense stress. This can affect your mental health, relationships, and quality of life.
8. Retirement: Leaving the workplace can be a significant life change that brings stress along with it. Concerns about finances, loss of identity, and finding new ways to fill time can lead to anxiety and depression.
5 ways to bounce back from stressful life events
It’s natural to be overwhelmed at times. Here are techniques to help you manage stress and find relief:
1. Sleep
Sleep can be one of the best ways to support your body and mind when you’re navigating stress. It's when your brain and body can process and release the events in your waking life, and it's important for controlling levels of stress hormones. Prioritize sleep to help your body recover and rebalance from a stressful day.
💙 Wind down by listening to Letting Go Into Sleep, a meditation to help you release anxiety and drift off peacefully.
2. Breathe
Use deep belly breathing and other types of breathwork to trigger the relaxation response in your body, which can counteract the effects of stress by slowing breath rate, relaxing muscles, and reducing blood pressure. These can help restore balance after a stressful event.
💙 Jay Shetty’s Reset With the Breath is a 3-minute meditation to help you find balance after a stressful event.
3. Get moving
Physical activity can help to reduce elevated stress hormones and minimize damage to the body and mind. Take a brisk walk, join an exercise class, or do your favorite type of movement after a stressful moment to help release the build-up of excess energy and tension. Being active during the day can also help you fall asleep more easily at bedtime.
💙 Build Compassion is a Daily Move session helping you to get out of your mind and into your body — and teach you about self-love.
4. Meditate or practice mindfulness
Practicing meditation, or moments of mindfulness, can help you move from the “fight or flight” stress response and into the “rest and digest” relaxation response. Whether you do a guided meditation or simply schedule a few minutes to check in with yourself, take intentional time to slow down your body and mind.
💙 U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murray shared his secrets in Mindfulness Tools With the U.S. Surgeon General.
5. Connect with people you care about
Make connections with loved ones, friends, and even co-workers. These relationships can be an important part of a balanced life. The emotional support can help sustain you in times of stress, and spending time caring for others can make us more resilient to stress.
💙 Learn to cultivate healthier and happier relationships with our Relationships With Others series.
Address common stressors with Calm
In navigating life's stressful events, finding effective coping mechanisms can help maintain our mental health and wellbeing. The Calm app can offer tools and practices to help you deal with—and bounce back from—stress.
Build a daily meditation practice: Regular meditation has been shown to reduce stress and improve emotional health. Calm offers a variety of guided meditations, including the "Overcoming Stress and Anxiety" series, which is tailored to help you understand and manage your stress response. Starting or ending your day with these meditations can help calm your mind, bring clarity, and foster a sense of peace.
💙 Build a practice with The Daily Calm or The Daily Trip, featuring a new 10-minute meditation each day.
Explore mindful movement: Physical activity can be a powerful stress reliever. Calm has mindful movement sessions that combine gentle exercises with mindfulness practices. These daily sessions can help you stay present while releasing tension, promoting relaxation.
💙 Releasing Stress from the Daily Move with Mel Mah can help you use mindful movement to feel more centered.
Get better sleep: Stress can significantly impact your sleep quality, creating a cycle that's hard to break. Calm offers Sleep Stories and meditations designed to help you unwind and fall asleep more easily. Whether you're struggling to quiet your mind after a stressful day or looking for a way to improve your sleep hygiene, these can guide you toward a restful night's sleep.
💙 Try winding down with a Sleep Story like Journey to the Stars, narrated by LeVar Burton.
Try the 7 Days of Managing Stress series: This series provides daily guidance and practices aimed at helping you understand stress better and learn practical ways to manage it. Over the course of a week, it can help you explore different strategies to reduce stress, including breathing techniques, mindfulness practices, and tips for adjusting your mindset.
💙 Dive into the 7 Days of Managing Stress to build your toolkit for mastering stress.
Meditate for work stress: Many people experience work-related stress. If you need to find moments of peace, during a busy workday, Calm has meditations designed to help you improve focus and handle work challenges with a more relaxed and clear mind.
💙 Alleviate Work Stress in this short meditation from the Mindfulness at Work series.
Bringing the Calm app into your daily routine can help you manage stress more effectively. Whether you're dealing with a major life event or everyday stressors, Calm has accessible and supportive tools to help you navigate through them with greater ease and resilience.
By dedicating a few minutes a day to your mental health through meditation, mindful movement, and improving your sleep, you can support your wellbeing through life's ups and downs.
Stressful events FAQs
What are a few examples of stressful events?
Stressful events are situations that challenge our sense of balance, security, or wellbeing, prompting a stress response in the body. Examples include:
Losing a job: This can impact one's financial security and sense of identity.
Death of a loved one: A profound loss can affect emotional and mental health.
A divorce or a breakup: Significant changes in personal relationships can be deeply distressing.
Moving to a new home: Relocation involves adjusting to a new environment and possibly leaving behind a support network.
Major health issues: Personal or family health crises require coping with pain, worry, and possibly changes in lifestyle.
What are the 5 scenarios that stress you out?
Stress triggers vary from person to person, but five common scenarios include:
Work deadlines: The pressure to meet tight deadlines can be overwhelming.
Public speaking: The fear of judgment or making mistakes in front of others can be paralyzing.
Financial problems: Worrying about how to pay bills or manage debt can cause significant anxiety.
Family conflicts: Disagreements or tensions within the family can be constant sources of stress.
Balancing work and personal life: Struggling to meet responsibilities at work and home can feel like a never-ending battle.
What are the top 10 causes of stress?
Many causes of stress often relate to major life changes, daily pressures, and personal challenges:
Job stress: Challenges related to job security, workload, and work environment
Financial issues: Concerns over debt, savings, and financial futures
Health concerns: Both personal health issues and those of family members
Relationship difficulties: Problems with partners, family, and friends
Lack of time: Feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities and lacking the time to manage them
Major life changes: Events such as marriages, births, deaths, or starting a new job
Children and family: The demands of parenting and managing household needs
Being too busy: Overcommitment to activities or tasks can lead to burnout
Personal safety concerns: Worries about one's safety or the safety of loved ones
Social isolation: Feeling disconnected from others
What are stressful situations in everyday life?
Everyday life is filled with potential stressors that can accumulate over time:
Traffic jams: The daily commute and any other time you’re stuck behind the wheel or on public transit
Balancing responsibilities: Juggling work, family, and personal time
Managing technology: Keeping up with emails, social media, and constant communication
Meeting expectations: The pressure to perform well at work, school, or in social settings
Decision-making: Making constant choices about finances, career paths, or in personal life
Recognizing these stressors is the first step toward managing them effectively. By identifying what triggers our stress, we can take proactive steps to mitigate these feelings, such as practicing mindfulness, prioritizing tasks, seeking support, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life. Calm your mind. Change the world.
