Below
is a selection of open-ended responses to the question 'What makes
you stressed?'
NB: Square brackets indicate where the text was edited for grammatical
reasons.
A large workload and what seems like little time to complete it in.
A lot of events happening at the one time; not [being] able to cope.
A lot of homework; Worries in classroom.
A lot of work at school together with family sickness.
Alcoholic brother who is 18 bothers my family and it's hard to keep
up. Also money problems.
Anger about things I can't change easily; i.e. what the government
are doing.
Anything. Arguments between or with friends and family. When at school:
some teachers or too much work at once.
Arguments; not being allowed to go out at times I want to.
At school - work gets too much & it is very busy where I work. I
felt very stressed waiting for my GCSE results but I'm fine now.
Bad exam marks.
Being bored with nothing to do.
Being bullied; being laughed at.
Being bullied at school; socialising.
Being out of control of anything, ie. school work; social situations,
etc. Also, having to do things I know I can't do.
Being pressured to get things done.
Being stuck with other people's problems.
Being unorganised, too much at one time
Big home works; exams/coursework deadlines; when other members of
my family are stressed.
Boys; friends; exams; just basic LIFE!
Can't go places unless permission from parents.
Careless mistakes.
College assignments; exams.
Commitments to my job; family matters.
Confusion; mixed signals; all personal problems.
Constant schoolwork and examinations within a short period of time.
Coursework at school; picking what clothes to wear.
Coursework deadlines; relationships.
Coursework; not revising for exams; [being] trapped in situations
(not often). Days before exams/exam results; pressure to meet deadlines
in coursework etc.
Deadlines for coursework + art are close to each other, leaving me
with very little time. Also my personal life - be it tennis, lifesaving
or swimming training…
Deadlines in school that must be met.
Deadlines on work that [are] difficult.
Demands from school, demands from family, demands from friends, demands
from myself, constantly having to do something.
Disputes between friends.
Doing things for others and stressing over the outcome.
Don't know
Drink!
During my GCSE's I was very stressed and cried due to deadlines and
exams.
Ever since I began my GCSE exams I have been stressing over my results,
what others will get and going to a formal, as all my friends are
but me.
Everyday life and family pressures.
Everyday things; exams.
Everyone expecting more than I can give & my GCSE results.
Everything, but mostly exams.
Exam pressure or normal problems.
Exam pressure, mostly; others giving me a hard time at school.
Exam results - waiting for them was very stressful.
Exam results and exams; family and social problems and school.
Exam results coming out; strained relationships with friends; boredom.
Exam results; Losing touch with some school friends
Exam results; pressures between friends; revision for exams; my appearance.
Exam results; friends going to different schools; starting A-levels;
money.
Exam results; not being able to do things properly.
Exam results; not being able to find clothes that match.
Exams - but never too stressed, whatever happens happens; PMS - can
get quite bad.
Exams - trying to cram everything and making sure you don't forget
to revise something. Exams and exam results!!!
Exams and Exams results; parents' expectations.
Exams and my friends from time to time.
Exams and other people's expectations of me, or when I've too much
going on and I have to fit it all in.
Exams and pressure from family. Trying to cope with school and house
work as mum is blind. Trouble with friends. Losing my faith in God.
Exams and schoolwork; family illness.
Exams and the pressure of meeting certain standards and target set
by yourself and others around. Also try to complete all work assignments
as well as keeping a part-time job.
Exams had made me feel stressed and the thought of going back to
school. Exams; pressure to do well at school.
Exams; schoolwork; pressure from people around you.
Exams; school, fighting with parents or parents fighting.
Exams; school results; work; homework; friends; family.
Exams; waiting for results; not enough free time.
Exams; meeting new people; trying new things and everyday life .
Exams; team selection(sport)
Exams/results; relationships (family + friends); being bored.
Exams; arguments; war; School/college.
Exams; diabetes.
Exams; going out (getting clothes to wear); schoolwork.
Exams; peer pressure.
Exams; pressure from work, school and family.
Exams; relationships with friends+family; work; deadlines.
Exams; school; teachers.
Excessive school work, demanding deadlines; peer problems.
Excessive workload; family problems; occasional bullying.
Falling behind in coursework.
Falling out with friends and family. Also trying to decide my career
options. Family life and school; deciding what to do next; close friends
and how they can betray you.
Family life putting me under pressure and my friends and education
prospects.
Family members; going to school; getting money.
Family problems; boredom; boys.
Family problems, school works, exams and results, weight problems.
Family problems; bullies; personal problems.
Family problems; future planning; new school; tight money.
Family problems; relationship problems; and the work involved in
my NVQ levels.
Family; relationships with the opposite sex; school pressures; peer
pressures (e.g. sex)
Family (father, sister).
Family; work; money; rude people.
Fighting with my parents stresses me as does having problems with
my friends
Financial matters. My appearance and running out of fake tan.
Finding work for placement at college at the moment; doing key skills.
Football; school; family matters; day-to-day activities.
Friends going separate ways; exam results. Friendships (what's the
right thing to do or say). Being in situations where attention is
on me.
Frustration when people do not pay attention to me or what I am saying.
Fuckin about! GCSE and the return to school.
GCSE time of revision and last minute course work; Duke of Ed[inburgh
Award Scheme]; family.
Getting assignments completed to the best of my ability; worrying
about school.
Getting caught behind with course work etc.; Thinking of exams.
Getting my exam results, sitting for my exams.
Getting my GCSE results and just people in general.
Getting myself organised I'm not the most organised of people.
Girlfriend; school; parents (nagging about school).
Girls; money.
Hard video games, getting the blame for something you didn't do.
Having a lot of schoolwork to complete inside a short time period.
Having arguments with my family and not seeing my friends enough.
Having coursework due and knowing I won't have it completed in time;
not knowing where I stand with a boy.
Having to remember many things at once.
Having too much to do at once and worrying too much.
Having too much to do at one time e.g. work, see friends, family
and boyfriends.
Home life: my dad is an alcoholic.
Homework (a lot of); no time to chill [be]cause [of] busy schedule.
Homework deadlines! Family fighting + illness.
Homework; exams; loss of sleep
Homework; how hard the school work is and my football.
Hours of work and coursework at the same time.
I didn't get to GCSE's, so trying to get back to school and do them.
I don't really know.
I don't feel stressed unless under pressure.
I find school, waiting for my GCSE results very stressful. I could
not enjoy my summer because of it.
I get stressed about football.
I hate running late for anything because then I am rushing around
like a headless chicken.
I have an undiagnosed fatigue illness; schoolwork has become more
difficult; many responsibilities.
I have no reason to be stressed.
I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is triggered by stress
of schoolwork and family/friend difficulties.
I recently completed GCSE's and before and during these examinations
I was extremely unhappy, stressed and almost depressed. Working part
time as a waitress […] also gets me stressed and 'dampens' my mood
sometimes, which annoys me.
If I have too many things to do and people start confusing me.
If I'm under pressure to get things done before a certain deadline.
If people are stressed around me + bad people in the streets, e.g.
people who always want to hurt others. Illness or problems in my family.
In school, if I don't grasp something; or if I'm annoyed at my friends,
but it doesn't happen that often.
Inefficiency in other people ("Telow-stress" I think it's called)
Jealousy, which is pointless.
Just things in life, school & stuff.
Lack of close friends; exams; pressure to perform up to people's
expectations; responsibility in the home; parents.
Lack of nicotine; exams, family difficulties; rows.
Life.
Life; parents
Loneliness.
Lots of schoolwork and not been able to do it. Also having very little
time to do things.
Lots of schoolwork; not getting much sleep; children and peer pressure.
Lots of schoolwork; working lots at my part-time job; family problems.
Making big decisions about what to do after leaving school. Also,
what others are thinking about me.
Making decisions about school; and teachers or people who put pressure
on me. But I am trying to ignore them now. No use in my life.
Making decisions that will lead to the rest of your life and whether
I am making the right decisions.
Making important decisions and what the outcome of those will become.
Making mistakes.
Maybe being absent a day at school and not being able to catch up
the work missed.
Men!!
Money matters.
Money troubles.
Mostly school and worrying about things, family and friends. Money
can be a big problem and personal matters too.
My diet/getting fat; boyfriend.
My elder brother; friends; work.
My family problems and decisions about the future.
My family; pressure of teachers, relationship, work
My family; my appearance.
My family; other people.
My family; smokers; waiting for taxis; school.
My father
My GCSE results just arrived so you can guess.
My granny's diagnosis of cancer and the death of my uncle.
My little brother, pushy teachers.
My mum (big time); work; so-called "friends"; school.
My mum makes me feel stressed a lot.
My parents; sometimes social life with arguments etc.; school exams.
My parents dictating to me; not having enough time for school work;
not performing well at hockey.
My relationship with my boyfriend of 2 years and also pressures from
family to succeed in school.
My results from my GCSE's, and I have a lot of things on my mind
about my future.
My sisters, because there are four of us and we don't get along very
well.
My uncle; my family; life in general.
My weight and the way I look.
My work and girls - I don't think any man can understand them.
My younger sister.
[Having] no confidence; [being] depressed.
No money; people depending on me; find it hard to say no.
Nowhere to go in our area; nothing to do (paramilitary).
Not a lot, but when I am faced with a problem it often puts me under
extreme stress.
Not a lot.
Not [being] able to focus properly.
Not having my opinions heard.
Not being guided enough.
Not being able to deal with my problems, when there are too many
problems to sort out. I feel alone and like an outsider.
Not being able to do things I could do before, and people annoying
me.
Not being able to have control or say over decisions which mainly
affect me, usually in school or in sport (ice hockey).
Not being able to understand school work and not being able to do
it.
Not being in control of situations.
Not enough time to fit in sport, social life and school work.
Not getting enough sleep.
Not getting stuff done on time.
Not sure.
Not sure. Don't get stressed much, would just get anxious if I had
coursework to hand in and didn't have it ready.
Not understanding schoolwork.
Nothing in particular.
Nothing.
Obstacles; school; insults.
Occasionally schoolwork; social matters.
Other people; money; job worries.
Others around me not giving me any space to do my own thing.
Overwork.
Owing out money; working.
Parent pressure; mates; no money.
Parents going on at your work; too much work at one time; exams
Parents, friends, school (doing well), mates, just teenage years
probably.
Parents; their rules and how they are always right.
People who think they are better than you.
Parents; work; money.
Parents; school; friends; eating disorder.
Part-time job; stupid fall outs with friends; school
Peer pressure and too much responsibility.
Peer pressure; schoolwork; part -time job.
Peer pressure; school; decisions about future; public speaking; loneliness;
people.
People annoying me and being in an untidy environment.
People annoying me; new situations.
People arguing. People begging me to do stuff for them and they are
capable of doing it themselves.
People constantly asking questions. Doing tedious, repetitive tasks.
Ignorant people who refuse to listen to my side of the argument.
People telling me I'm wrong when I know I m right.
People demanding too much attention at the one time.
People expecting too much of me at particular times, e.g. exams.
People going on & on at me.
People going on at me about getting a job.
People ignoring or making fun of you.
People not doing the right things and acting childish.
People pressurising me.
People talking rubbish and being loud.
People trying on wetsuits & not buying them, wasting my time; & screaming
children. (I work in a Water Ski shop during holidays)
People who annoy me; football.
People who can't stop picking out your weaknesses.
People who do my head in.
People who go out of their way to either hurt or please others by
doing something crazy.
People yapping at me.
Performing in front of someone for assessment purposes. Not exams
however.
Personal problems at home; not getting along with other family members.
Playing rugby badly.
Pressure.
Pressure and uncertainty.
Pressure from parents about school and job; hassle with friends;
boy trouble; work in school (difficult).
Pressure from school; exam results; family problems; problems with
friends.
Pressure to do well in exams; having to meet school deadlines; family
problems.
Pressure; socialization; change.
Problems with friends and family; in some cases too much schoolwork
to cope with.
Revising for school and having coursework handed in on time.
Rushing to do something that [was] left to the last minute.
School - expected grades; family problems.
School - I've failed my exams and feel I have let my family down.
School and doing too many after school activities.
School and family difficulties and living in a refuge; always [being]
skin[t]!
School and life in general
School and my friends (bullying).
School coursework; arguments that go nowhere.
School deadlines or family illnesses.
School especially as I want to go out with any friends but have home
work to do & also because I am in 6th yr and there is a lot of pressure
on me to do well.
School exams; moody friends; stupid parents.
School exams; family; worries of everyday life.
School made me stressed all the time which is one of the main reasons
I left. I get stressed if I have deadlines.
School marks as I have to re-sit my GCSE maths and it won't be easy.
School pressures, especially with my results coming out, also family
pressures to do well.
School questionnaires, friends' problems; home life.
School use[d] to stress me out with the amount of work but don't
need to worry not anymore b'cos I'm left.
School work (deadlines); too much to remember; no free time.
School work (especially art coursework); exams; some classes in school.
School work + exams. Competing in sports and fights I have with family
or friends.
School work all building up at once and not having any free time.
Money gets me stressed because I never have enough.
School work and exams; sometimes peer pressure.
School work and exams. The worst thing is waiting for exam results!
Family problems, but mostly school.
School work and my granny.
School work and teenage problems, e.g. friends, boyfriends.
School work and the amount of coursework I have to complete with
my life outside school. I find I don't have enough time for it all.
School work and the way I don't like how I look.
School work beginning of A-levels. Worrying that I might not be able
to carry out the work given.
School work during school term; and during the holidays, being stuck
in this country.
School work, e.g. grades. Not being allowed out to discos when your
friends are + then having to explain to them why.
School work; arguments with family and friends.
School work; boyfriends(!); my appearance
School work; exams; friends; lady friends; sports; parents and family.
School work; exams; parents i.e. cleaning room etc.
School work; important exams; strict teachers.
School work; juggling between school; home work and socialising with
friends.
School work; losing friends; Fighting with friends; losing loved
relatives.
School work; pressures of life; pressures in the everyday society
[and] at work.
School work; relationships; pressure; business being busy; pushing
myself too hard.
School work; sometimes things going on at home.
School work; waiting on results; deciding what to do next. Schoolwork;
extra activities; balancing everything with a social life.
School work/exams; too many things to do at once; not knowing what
to do or say.
School work; pressure to always look your best.
School work; friends falling out with me; subject choices for A-levels.
School work; leaving things to the last minute.
School works; exams; boyfriends; and worrying about family and the
future.
School; coursework; tests; or doing something I don't like to do.
School; family; lack of jobs; separation in the family; sister moving
out.
School; football; rugby.
School; friends; life.
School, plans for future; family; living up to expectations.
School, pressure to succeed, friends
School; sports; sisters' behaviour; boyfriend.
School; arguments with friends; misunderstandings of others; be[ing]
taken advantage of and be[ing] unable to say otherwise; family.
School; friends and my parents. Mostly just trying to keep everyone
happy - it's quite hard!
School; getting up early; money.
School; parents pressuring me; worrying about one of my friend's
health (mental + physical); the future.
School; problems with friends; things going wrong; problems in family.
School; relationships & responsibilities.
School work; my written work; my reading.
School work; social situations.
So much pressure is emphasised by other people's expectations.
So much to do and no time.
Social life, nothing to do; stress in school by other pupils; drugs.
Some people, watching others suffer, sectarianism.
Some things that are brought upon [me], e.g., school and decisions
about what to do as I don't want to go back to school.
Sometimes family problems and sometimes friends when I am drinking
alcohol.
Sometimes school work, not very often though.
Starting back to school; hair trouble […]; money.
Starting college; feeling fat; being with people I don't know.
Street people.
Stupid things: [being] really tired, hungry; not getting my own way;
money; time; age.
Teacher[s] who expect you to dedicate all your time to one subject.
My sister fighting with me.
The amount of schoolwork I always have to get done; what others think
of me.
The day to day goings on with both my friends and family.
The pressure of continuous exam modules and the high entrance requirements
for certain degree courses.
The thought of starting something new out of the normal routine;
harder and more work to get finished.
The worries that come along with school and peer pressure.
There is a lot of pressure on schoolwork and getting a job.
There's only been one time when I've been stressed - in January 2004,
with my mock exams coming up and loads and loads of coursework to
do as well.
Things not going according to plan, ignorant people.
Things that happen at home.
Things that happen in my family and with friends.
Things that I can't control or change; or having too much to do
in a short time.
Thinking about exams, especially the results. Also decision making
that doesn't just affect me.
Thinking about how I can make my dream come true and worrying about
it never happening.
Thinking about school and learning new things.
Thinking about things that [are] on my mind.
Thinking about work and keeping up with the pace at which things
are done.
Thinking of growing up.
Thinking of others' problems - trying to help them. Sometimes work
as well - like schoolwork, grades, etc.
Thinking of school and about my mother, who just passed away there
a few months ago.
Thinking that I can't get a job .How will I get a job? What if I
never get a job? I should not have left school.
Through school work and friends leaving me out of things and not
knowing what to do in the future like universities.
To[o] much work piled on me at my job.
Too many difficult things to do.
Too many things happening at once - with school starting again, there
is a lot of work and outside activities make it really hard.
Too many things too little time; arguments; deadlines; irritating
people.
Too much coursework; being sick; losing friend and family members
Too much noise; maths.
Too much schoolwork; when my parents aren't getting on.
Too much work I can't handle.
Too much work in school and peer pressures from friends.
Too much work to do. Competing in competitions
Tragedies; pressure; school.
Tremendous amount of pressure around exam time & result time - could
not sleep, didn't feel like eating, talking or doing the usual activities.
Schoolwork is the greatest stress in my life.
Trying to expla[i]n things to people who don't seem to listen.
Trying to make my job skills (£ 40) stretch over a week.
Trying to meet deadlines for homework and course work.
Under pressure from school exams and also when I am unable to do
something.
Upcoming football matches!; sorting out problems for other people;
lack of respect from anyone; to owe anyone anything.
Usually stupid things! But now and again my family.
Waiting for answers to life altering decisions, e.g. exam results
or being accepted in a job.
Waiting on my GCSE results and thinking about the future.
Waiting on results following tests, but still at that I don't get
that stressed.
Waiting on results; exams; relationships at home; health problems
sometimes.
Weight; ability to complete some tasks and having to decide what
to pick education-wise, what to do?
When everyone at my part-time job does something wrong and I have
to sort it out.
When I am not happy and feeling down and when other people are happy
and I am not.
When I am under pressure at work, so college.
When I do something wrong and don't know what to do. Or when I don't
know something.
When I don't have enough time to reflect on things like church matters.
When I have a lot to do in a short space of time.
When I have lot of schoolwork to do, Occasional arguments with friends
or family.
When I'm pressured doing work.
When my parents spen[d] a lot of money I get stressed. Also, weight
problems over [the] last year including under-weight and over-weight.
When people put me under pressure, e.g. exam results, part-time jobs.
When schoolwork builds up or I fall out with a friend.
When things don't go according to plan.
When trying my hardest to do something and can't do it.
When we have too much work on.
When you are told you're getting a beating by the paramilitaries.
Work at college, family problems and being forced/pressurised by
friends to do certain activities unsuitable for me.
Work at college; Not getting enough sleep and then having to get
up early(this can go on for about a week).
Work makes me stressed and money and girls
Work overload; family members nagging; lack of sleep.
Work; arguments with friends and family.
Work, exams, plans for future, worrying, getting told what to do.
Work; football.
Work; life in general; [being] overweight; day to day living; people
(crowds).
Work; Money and Girlfriend.
Working hard; being annoyed; confronting fears; being angry or really
happy (it never lasts); doing things I hate (e.g. being in photos,
or being with people I don't know or like); no sleep; being forced
to do things.
Working long hours
Working to get a place at the university.
Workload increasing, i.e. deadlines to meet etc; people not including
me in social situations.
Worries of school and health.
Worry about my future.
Worrying about exam results and how it can affect my future if I
do not do well.
Worrying about how my life is going to turn out gets me stressed.
Worrying about small things in life, e.g. exams, etc.
Worrying about what others think; keeping up with others; school
work, having so much to do with so little time and trying hard not
to get swamped.
