The Impact Life Events Can Have On Your Mental Health

It can be expected to want to pass through life without encountering any complications or challenges. However, setbacks can be a natural part of being human, and challenges are often an opportunity for growth. 

Life events that can lead to changes in a person’s life may increase stress levels, even if the change was anticipated. Learning about life events and possible emotional management mechanisms for addressing feelings around life changes may make such events easier to process. 

Examples of significant life events

Any form of life event that results in a meaningful amount of change can cause stress. However, some people may not consider positive life events, such as getting married or graduating from college, stressful. Despite this factor, even change that comes in the form of growth and progress can be physically and mentally taxing. It may sometimes be helpful to sort significant life events into positive and negative categories, with the caveat that these events can be variable from person to person. What may be a positive time for one person may not be for someone else.

Positive life events

Below are examples of common positive life events individuals may go through that can commonly cause stress: 

• Getting married
• Having a planned pregnancy
• Being promoted at your job
• Starting a new job
• Retirement 
• A celebratory religious event, such as a baptism or other conversion services
• Finishing high school
• Moving out of your parent's house
• Adopting a pet
• Starting a business
• Welcoming a new baby
• Buying a home
• Graduating college
• Making a career change
• Achieving a long-held goal, such as running a marathon or writing a book
• Passing an important test, such as the bar exam
• Military service
• Winning awards
• Going on vacations
• Relocating for positive reasons (to start a cool new job, live in a city you’ve always dreamed about, or be closer to friends and family)

Negative life events

Below are examples of potential adverse life events that may cause stress: 

• A divorce or a breakup from a romantic relationship
• The death of a family member or other loved one
• Losing your job
• Developing a severe illness
• Being arrested
• Living through a natural disaster
• Becoming disabled, whether through a significant injury and illness or the natural process of aging
• Extended periods of unemployment or underemployment, where you continue to search for a new job but have difficulty finding one
• Violence or abuse 
• Being affected by crime
• Incarceration
• Financial stress
• The absence of an expected positive event, i.e., you do not graduate college, get married, or receive an anticipated promotion at your job
• Relocating because of a health condition, instability, economic hardship, or another negative reason

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Common feelings associated with life events

Depending on the life event, different feelings may rise to the surface. Happy events may cause excitement for a couple on their wedding day, love may arise for parents welcoming a newborn baby, pride could occur for a person graduating from medical school, or an older individual celebrating their retirement and signing up for Medicare may experience a sense of peace. 

Unpleasant events might cause worry for a worker who has just been laid off, sadness for a spouse going through a divorce, grief for a child whose parent has died, or loss for a person who has moved away from friends. All the above circumstances and emotions can cause stress. 

Psychology researchers have identified a few ways to predict whether a significant life event (positive or negative) may elicit stressful feelings. Events with the following characteristics may be more likely to cause stress in a person’s life. 

Adaptation

The adaptation theory argues that any stress associated with a life event is proportional to the change it causes and the adaptation required to adapt to such a change. For example, getting married may be a more stressful event for couples that have not yet lived together before marriage, as marriage causes a change not only in their relationship status but also their living situation. The adaptation hypothesis assumes that life events that cause stress can be cumulative because each event may lead to additional changes and needed adaptations.

Threat level

Threatening life events are often associated with imminent harm, intense emotion, or a lack of controllability. They are often adverse life events, such as living through a natural disaster or experiencing violence. Though this is not always the case, threatening events tend to be more acute, as with losing a job. These events can be so severe that they may lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Interruption of goals

Anything that impacts the life a person expected to be living at a particular stage, such as divorcing or developing a serious illness, may fall into this category of stressor.

Competence, status, and identity

The competence, status, and identity theory posits that some of the most stressful life events are those that can cause changes to a person’s sense of competence, social status, or conception of their core identity. The researchers found that these kinds of events are often closely associated with interpersonal relationships or employment challenges. 

Interpersonal turbulence that may cause a feeling of social rejection, such as being broken up with or excluded from a significant social event, was the most stressful. Employment challenges led to what researchers described as cascading effects, where financial insecurity added additional stressors like increasing the likelihood of spousal conflict or relocation.

Managing the impacts of life events

If an event in your life, positive or negative, is causing you stress, there are several steps you can take to address it. Stress is a physical response of the body, so taking care of yourself physically may be a helpful way to mitigate stress symptoms. 

Regularly exercising is one of the most consistently proven methods of reducing stress and improving mood. Exercise is relatively accessible and affordable. In addition, you do not need to work out at an expensive gym or have a personal trainer. Walking around your neighborhood once a day or trying another form of low-impact exercise can be enough for you to reap benefits.

Developing healthy sleep practices and a consistent sleep routine can be another path toward more effective stress management. Developing beneficial sleep hygiene may also include:

• Going to bed at the same time every night
• Avoiding screens such as phones and laptops for a few hours before bed
• Participating in calming activities such as journaling or reading right before sleep
• Not using your bed for anything other than sleep and sexual activity
• Ensuring a comfortable temperature in your room
• Removing clutter from your bed 

Support options

Some people may associate attending therapy with needing to treat a mental health condition. However, anyone can benefit from and use therapy. Therapy can be a helpful way to process stress associated with life events, especially long-term events such as unemployment or a significant illness.

If you are undergoing several changes in your life, it may seem stressful to add another commitment to your schedule, especially one that may involve commuting to an in-person therapy appointment. In these situations, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may be a beneficial alternative. Through a legitimate online therapy platform, you can connect with a therapist from your home's comfort, and convenience and choose a session time that works for you. 

Scientific research has demonstrated that attending therapy online can be as effective as attending in-person treatment. One study assessing the impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) concluded that people who completed an online CBT course could significantly reduce their stress levels. Online therapy may be helpful if you hope to receive additional support in processing complicated emotions around life events.