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Stressors

Definition

Stressors are specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten the person's well-being.

Analogy

Consider stressors as villains in a video game. They're obstacles that challenge your character (you), causing distress and requiring you to react in order to progress further in the game.

Related terms

Environmental Stressor: These are external factors in our environment such as noise, crowding, pollution which cause us stress. They're like annoying pop-up ads while playing your video game - they distract and frustrate you.

Psychological Stressor: These are internal factors such as fear, uncertainty about future events which cause us stress. They're like difficult levels in your video game - they make you anxious because they're hard to overcome.

Life Event Stressor: These are significant life changes such as death of loved one, divorce, loss of job which cause us stress. They're like boss fights in your video game - they're major challenges that require a lot of effort and can significantly impact your progress.