Why Micro-Stressors Are Ruining Your Day
The hidden culprits responsible for stress, anxiety and burnout
When we talk about stress, most of us jump straight to talking about the big things. You know, those large, overarching stressors in our life that loom in the shadows and weigh us down.
To start, there’s our mortgage, income and taxes. Then there’s our marital problems, parenthood and friendships. And to top it all off, we have to try and keep ourselves happy and healthy.
Those things are all stressful. We know that. What often goes unnoticed, though, are the smaller, less-daunting things that populate our day-to-day lives. Or, as Dr. Rangan Chatterjee calls them, micro-stressors.
A micro-stressor might be a bad night’s sleep. It could be a traffic jam on the way to work. Perhaps it’s an argument at home.
Whatever specific situation crops up throughout our day, one thing is for certain. No matter how big or small the stimulus, these stressors add up. Together, they stand to jeopardise our happiness, mental health and just about everything that’s important to us in life.
Missing the Mark
It’s ironic, really. In all of our efforts to mitigate stress by cutting down our working hours or attending marriage…
