4 Individual differences in experiencing stress

One of the biggest difficulties in managing stress lies in the fact that stress begins as an individual experience. There are individual differences which directly influence the point at which an individual begins to experience stress. Each person’s experience of stress differs and must be dealt with on an individual basis. These individual differences are not always within the control of the person and may arise at different stages in each person’s life. Being aware of these individual differences, and their potential to lead to stress, allows the opportunity to observe, identify and manage a stressful situation at the earliest opportunity.

Individual differences in experiencing stress

There are many individual differences which may influence the onset of stress. The majority of these individual differences will fall into one of 4 categories:

1. Life stages

There are a number of different stages of life - childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, midlife, pre-retirement and post-retirement.  Each of these stages brings its own pressures e.g. trying to find your identity in adolescence, having children in early adulthood, dealing with the life adjustments of retirement. Also, with time the age at which people change stages changes e.g. people are now having children later than before.

 2. Major personal events

There are many major events which can occur during a person’s life. These include deaths, births, marriage, divorce, redundancies etc. To make matters worse many of these events lie outside of the control of the individual which makes them harder to manage.

 3. The daily grind

No 2 people will have exactly the same day. There are many small events which may occur during the regular day. These events may be small on their own but the cumulative impact can be too much to cope with.

 4. Personal resilience

A person’s ability to manage their energy and release pressure and tension has a massive influence on their ability to avoid, or cope with, stress. The better they are at managing their energy and releasing tension and pressure, the less likely they are to experience stress.

Stress is an individual experience. There are individual differences which will influence whether someone will experience stress and, if they do, how bad that experience will be. Being aware of these individual differences provides them with the best opportunity to manage stressful situations and minimise their impact.