Work, parenting, social media comparison: Different sources of stress have different impacts on your health. Experts share their best solutions to deal with each.
The 11 Different Types of Stress—and How To Ease Them, from Psychology Experts
Updated on Sep. 03, 2024
Stress is our body’s response to any demand, challenge or change that disrupts our usual norms, explains Adrian Jacques Ambrose, MD, MPH, MBA, a psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He explains that most stress can be categorized into four areas:
- Acute stress: short-term, specific, and common, such as missing a deadline at work, dealing with a minor accident, or preparing for an exam.
- Episodic acute stress: repeated, frequent episodes of acute stress—often due to lifestyle or personality traits.
- Chronic stress: persistent and pervasive stress over an extended period, usually stemming from ongoing situations that seem inescapable or unmanageable.
- Eustress: a beneficial type of stress that actually improves our health, performance, motivation, and overall well-being.
“It’s important to understand the type of stress you’re experiencing,” Dr. Ambrose explains, as this prevents mismanagement. For example, “Treating chronic stress as if it were acute may only offer temporary relief without addressing the underlying issues, potentially exacerbating the problem,” he says. “Similarly, failing to acknowledge the potential benefits of [positive stress] could lead to missed opportunities for personal development.” (For instance, here are 10 surprising ways stress can be good for you.)
Understanding chronic stress
At its core, stress is your body’s built-in safety mechanism. Biological and psychological reactions occur to help us react most effectively when we encounter a potential danger. These responses are often called the 4 F’s of stress: Fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
Dr. Ambrose says each of these responses impacts your nervous system—but if the stress is persistent, it can have significant and far-reaching effects on your physical and mental health. You might experience sleep problems, stomach issues, moodiness and weight gain in the short term (along with these weird stress symptoms). Over time, though, chronic stress can contribute to serious psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal conditions, metabolic disorders, endocrine dysregulation and more. That’s why “early recognition and proactive management of chronic stress are key to mitigating the adverse effects,” he says.
However first, you need to identify the source, explains Dawn Potter, PsyD, a clinical psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic. “Different stressors require different solutions or coping strategies.” Plus, working out what’s behind your chronic stress can foster resilience and overall wellbeing, adds Dr. Ambrose.
Below, our experts explain 11 common sources of chronic stress. If any of these resonate with you, bringing it up to your healthcare provider is important. Dr. Ambrose says professionals can help with strategies and techniques to proactively reduce your chronic stress and optimize the helpful effects of [positive] stress.
Type of stress: Ambient anxiety
Ambient anxiety is a type of chronic stress that can run in the background of our lives. It may be enhanced during extreme current events and world unrest, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic. But modern life can pile on more every day. There’s no strict definition of what “causes” ambient anxiety, as we all have different thresholds for what affects us and how.
For instance, ambient anxiety could start to mount when you turn on the news and see reports on climate concerns, protests, and political controversy—or, on the other hand, you scroll through your friends’ (or influencers’) achievements on social media and feel like you’re falling behind.
Still, there’s one common link: “[Ambient anxiety sources] are all fed by doomscrolling,” Dr. Potter says. “We need social media breaks.” The American Psychological Association (APA) points to general “media saturation overload” as a problem, with research showing how overexposure to television, newspapers, and social media can increase emotional distress.
Type of stress: Work stress
Work-related stress is one of the most common types, Dr. Ambrose says. Everybody faces acute stressors on the job, whether you accidentally miss an email or get a sudden request from your boss. However, “Chronic stress can develop if the high demands, tight deadlines, and heavy workloads persist over a long period of time.”
2023 research published in BMC Psychology says that detachment is key in reducing chronic work stress. This means figuring out what strategies work for you to mentally clock out of work when possible, such as:
- Leaving your phone in the other room when spending time with family.
- Going for a walk during lunch instead of eating at your desk.
- Identifying a “recovery activity” like reading, playing video games, or joining an exercise class.
- Taking “micro-breaks” throughout the day to stretch, grab water, or go outside for a few minutes.
Maintaining a social support network at work can be beneficial, too, says Dr. Potter. (Online communities can fill this gap if you work remotely or independently.) It’s probably best to avoid ill-intentioned gossip, it’s healthy for coworkers to vent to each other, she says. “I would also advocate for self-care, finding work-life balance, prioritizing, and practicing assertiveness for work stress.”
Type of stress: Parenting
Stress and parenting go hand in hand. In fact, the APA has a Parenting Stress Index to identify issues that may lead to problems in a child’s or parent’s health and well-being.
Dr. Potter explains that “People need to understand and have confidence in their chosen parenting philosophy, carve out time for themselves and their adult relationships, and avoid comparing themselves to other families.” Importantly, don’t feel ashamed if parenting concerns start to feel out of control—parents should feel OK reaching out for professional help. “Start with [your] pediatrician for a first step,” she advises.
Type of stress: Urban living
A 2023 study published in Nature Medicine found that factors of city life—such as air pollution, building density, traffic, and lack of access to natural features—are linked with higher levels of chronic stress.
This research backs up past studies showing that city dwellers have greater activity in the amygdala—the area of the brain that interprets images and sounds and regulates emotions and stress. Recent evidence published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences suggests that amygdala hyperactivity is a cause of chronic stress.
Still, this stressor isn’t limited to urbanites. “You could experience overstimulation [living] on a farm, too, if buzzing flies and crowing roosters surrounded you,” Dr. Potter says, “or in a suburb surrounded by screaming children and a garbage truck backing up.”
Yet there are proven ways to ease this type of chronic stress, no matter where you live. Research published in Molecular Psychiatry in 2022 found that amygdala activity decreases after walking in nature—and a 2024 study found that breathwork is a powerful stress reliever. (Plus, here are 12 more strategies to lower stress, according to a Cleveland Clinic doctor.)
Type of stress: Traumatic stress
Chronic stress can occur in response to a singular traumatic event, such as experiencing a natural disaster, assault, or the death of a loved one. Still, there’s a deeper-rooted form of traumatic stress called complex trauma—associated with repeated, prolonged exposure to trauma. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this can occur in adulthood but is more typical in childhood or adolescence. These repeated, negative experiences are known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and can lead to chronic stress and many other mental or chronic health conditions later in life.
Dr. Potter points to a wide range of potential ACEs someone may have experienced, from the loss of a parent to abuse, neglect, discrimination, or bullying. But children may also experience complex trauma from their parents’ or caregivers’ behaviors, patterns, and problems—such as their own chronic stress, being too busy to provide emotional support or certain socioeconomic, physical, mental, or financial challenges.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, ACEs are fairly common, but not every child reacts in the same way. If two children experience similar ACEs, only one may develop chronic stress and/or other conditions that persist later in life.
You might not even realize that ACEs and complex trauma are contributing to your chronic stress. However, treatment can be highly effective at identifying the sources and guiding solutions. “I highly recommend psychotherapy for people bothered by ACEs and other traumatic stresses,” Dr. Potter advises. Repeated studies have found that most types of therapy—such as cognitive behavioral therapy—are effective in recovering from various types of traumatic stress.
Type of stress: Financial stress
According to the research firm Gallup, the current cost-of-living crisis is at the top of financial stressors for most Americans, with 55% concerned about being unable to maintain their standard of living. Dr. Potter explains that financial stress can strike people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. “As our world and our income change, so do our expectations.”
For some, financial stress may represent worry over keeping the lights on and avoiding eviction while working two jobs and going to school—whereas, for others, it may be how to properly save for retirement while also sending a child to college. Plus, “We all grow up with different perspectives on money, so for couples, financial stress often involves differences of opinion on how money should be spent.”
Her advice? “Depending on your particular financial stresses, you may need help learning to budget, finding social services to help you, and seeking new career opportunities or training,” she says.
Communication is crucial, too. Research published 2024 in the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that the more stressed out people are over finances, the less likely they are to talk about it with their partners—fueling more stress. “Communicating with loved ones about your needs, perspective, and boundaries around money” may ease stress and guide solutions, Dr. Potter says.
Type of stress: Life changes
Big life changes like divorce, the death of a loved one, injury, or losing your job are common causes of chronic stress. However, according to the American Institute of Stress, even seemingly positive changes can underpin chronic stress, such as marriage (or getting back together), a new job or an outstanding personal achievement.
This is because any of these changes can be highly disruptive to your life and “may require significant adjustment and adaptation depending on the scope and scale, with uncertainty and the need to navigate new environments or roles adding to the stress,” says Dr. Ambrose. Unfortunately, he explains that it can be difficult to generalize solutions because people respond to this type of stress in different ways.
Still, according to the APA, maintaining strong social support and a healthy lifestyle (with plenty of nutrition, exercise and sleep) is a good place to start. However, if stress around a life change persists, experts recommend turning to a mental health provider to develop an action plan.
Type of stress: Interpersonal stress
Romantic relationships, caregiving, coworker relationships, manager relationships, family relationships and friendships can all serve as sources of chronic stress. It can emerge from conflict, criticism, harassment, and bullying—but it can also be self-imposed, according to recent research in Psychological Reports. This type of interpersonal stress could develop from perceived expectations from others, fear of being in someone’s debt, trying to take care of other’s feelings, or stress over not behaving as expected in certain situations.
Ultimately, “The key to managing interpersonal stress is usually improving assertive communication and boundary-setting,” Dr. Potter says.
Type of stress: Climate anxiety
“Climate change and environmental stress are also increasingly relevant, especially among younger generations who are acutely aware of the impacts of climate change,” Dr. Ambrose says. “Many youths often describe feeling helpless about their environment.”
Building social support is a strong way to cope with climate anxiety, according to 2023 research published in Frontiers in Psychology. Specifically, the researchers suggest a social-based, three-pronged approach to enhance well-being in the face of climate anxiety:
- Taking action, like through advocacy groups or community volunteering opportunities.
- Fostering resilience by seeking positive and meaningful climate-related news, documentaries, or projects.
- Seeking social support in group settings away from distressing climate information, such as through sports, hobbies, gaming, or other interests.
Type of stress: Minority stress
The APA explains that “minority stress” refers to the effects of adverse social conditions experienced by ethnic, racial, sexual and gender minorities, as well as others who are members of stigmatized social groups. Causes of this chronic stress could be overt, like harassment, prejudice, or discrimination.
But they could be internal as well. For example, minority groups often report that they expect rejection, feel the need to conceal their minority identity, and have internalized negative self-images based on societal attitudes.
Dr. Potter says ultimately, systemic changes are needed to support minority groups and address problems like discrimination. But “for an individual, engaging with one’s community, [participating in] advocacy, and social support can help.”
Type of stress: Digital information overload
As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Ambrose says, “One of the most prevalent stressors today is digital and information overload. The pressure to be constantly available and responsive can lead to feeling overwhelmed and unable to disconnect.”
He says this constant barrage increases anxiety, disrupts concentration, and leads to sleep disturbances due to excessive screen time and constant notifications. “In addition, instances of cyberbullying and harassment are extraordinarily more common in the younger generation.”
2024 research published in the International Journal of Information Management Data Insights lists strategies to reduce this type of stress, such as filtering and customization—removing accounts or content that trigger negative feelings. However, if self-management techniques aren’t working, the APA suggests that working with a mental health professional can help develop healthier digital habits.
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Sources
- Adrian Jacques Ambrose, MD, a psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- Dawn Potter, PsyD, a psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic
- The American Psychological Association (APA): “Media overload is hurting our mental health. Here are ways to manage headline stress”
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: “The Relationship among COVID-19 Information Seeking, News Media Use, and Emotional Distress at the Onset of the Pandemic”
- BMC Psychology: “Relationship between psychological detachment from work and depressive symptoms: indirect role of emotional exhaustion and moderating role of self-compassion”
- APA: “Parenting Stress Index”
- Nature Medicine: “Effects of urban living environments on mental health in adults”
- Nature: “City living and urban upbringing affect neural social stress processing in humans”
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences: “New Insights into the Pivotal Role of the Amygdala in Inflammation-Related Depression and Anxiety Disorder”
- Molecular Psychiatry: “How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature”
- National Institutes of Health: “Acute and Chronic Mental Health Trauma”
- The Cleveland Clinic: “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)”
- NIH: “Acute and Chronic Mental Health Trauma”
- Gallup: “Americans Continue to Name Inflation as Top Financial Problem”
- Journal of Consumer Psychology: “Discussing money with the one you love: How financial stress influences couples' financial communication”
- American Institute of Stress: “The Homes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory”
- APA: “11 healthy ways to handle life’s stressors”
- Psychological Reports: “The Development of an Interpersonal Stressors Scale: Identifying Self-Imposed and Other-Imposed Interpersonal Stressors”
- Frontiers in Psychology: “Climate anxiety, coping strategies and planning for the future in environmental degree students in the UK”
- APA: “Minority stress”
- International Journal of Information Management Data Insights: “Causes, consequences, and strategies to deal with information overload: A scoping review”
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