Unfortunately, you would be wrong to think this way. Those are external factors, but there are also internal factors, things that spring from your psychological make-up, that can play a role. Worrying about everything, being generally negative or pessimistic, over-reacting to situations, being rigid and inflexible, and having unrealistic expectations can make you a chronic stress candidate. The problem with these is that they actually feed on themselves — the stress caused by worrying or a negative attitude will further cause you to worry and have a negative attitude which in turn fuels more stress, on and on.
A lot of research has been done to help you identify the symptoms that are associated with chronic stress, and it’s important to know what these are. That’s particularly true as we get older because our bodies are more vulnerable and don’t recover as quickly.
Here’s what researchers have uncovered:
