In life we all face problems from time to time that can cause us to suffer from increased levels of stress. If we separate from somebody, or even worse, get divorced, then the stress levels involved are quite high but how stressful is separation or a divorce? Is it more stressful than say having financial problems or losing your job or even say for example going to prison?

SEATONS RESEARCH

We at Seatons have been doing our own research into life events that cause increased stress levels and have come up with our own Top 40 list using our own unique Seatons arbitrary scoring system.

TOP 40 STRESS FACTORS

Without further ado we set out what we believe are the Top 40 life events that cause us the most stress:-

1	Death of Spouse	99
2	Divorce	75
3	Separation	64
4	Imprisonment	62
5	Death of a Close Family Member	61
6	Accident or Illness	55
7	Getting Married	51
8	Getting the Sack	48
9	Retirement	46
10	Illness of a Family Member	43
11	Repossession of Home	42
12	Sexual Problems	40
13	Pregnancy	39
14	New Family Member	38
15	Major Business Problems	37
16	Financial Problems	36
17	Death of a Close Friend	35
18	Changing Work Circumstances	33
19	Taking on a Large Loan/Mortgage	30
20	Family Leaving Home	27
21	Trouble with In-Laws/Family	26
22	Outstanding Personal Achievement	27
23	Spouse Stops/Starts Work	25
24	Starting/Leaving School	24
25	Substantial Change in Living Conditions	23
26	Trouble with Your Boss	22
27	Substantial Change in Personal Habits	21
28	Moving Home	20
29	Changing School	20
30	Change in Social Activity	20
31	Death of a Pet	19
32	Taking on Large Loan/Debt	17
33	Children Getting Married	16
34	Change in Sleeping Habits	15
35	Change in Eating Habits	15
36	Going on Holiday	12
37	Children Going Travelling	11
38	Christmas	10
39	Children Starting Employment	9
40	Minor Breaking of the Law	9

DIVORCE AND SEPARATION

The results are in from Seatons own arbitrary subjective poll. In our opinion divorce and separation come in at numbers 2 and 3 in the Top 40 list of most stressful life events.

HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS

So now you know what the life events are that cause stress. The big question is what can you do about it.

ATTITUDE

In our opinion stress is not caused by problems, it is often a person’s attitude towards the problems that can cause stress. Knowing the cause of stress can make it easier to deal with. Sometimes the question you need to ask yourself is now how can I rid myself of stress but how can I change my attitude towards work, events, disappointments, fears and people. Therefore changing your attitude to life can go a long way towards improving stress levels.

PHYSICAL

Physical activity can also help such as physical exercise, reducing smoking or reliance on alcohol or other drugs. Finding an outlet and maybe using stress reduction techniques such as yoga, meditation and other relaxation methods can also be of use.

LEGAL ADVICE

If you are in the process of separating or even thinking of divorce and are stressed and need legal help and advice then please call us for a free initial chat. We are known as the Friendly Professionals and are here to help and guide you through what is obviously a very challenging and difficult time.