SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – People who experience stressful life events tend to overeat and develop stress-related conditions, such as high blood pressure, or worse yet, a heart attack.

Have you ever wondered why some people can deal better with stressful situations than others?

Health expert, Karen Owoc, explains why and whether your attitudes or issues make you more prone to being stressed out.

Karen says that if you possess any of the following NINE attitudes, you could be the source of your own stress.

  1. Impatient – If you’re impatient, you expect others to work, walk, faster. You are critical of how others perform. If other people don’t meet your standards, you boil over inside and are never at peace.
  2. A perfectionist – If you’re a perfectionist, you strive to be perfect (and since it’s not possible to be perfect), you often feel anxious, disappointed in yourself, and thus, feel like you failed.
  3. Always ‘on the go’ – If you’re unable to relax, you’re always working and jumping from one project or chore to another. You never stop to relax and calm your body and mind. This builds up to what’s called a “deadly stress momentum”.
  4. Humorless and unenthusiastic – If you have a “sour attitude”, you bring about your own stress. Learning to laugh and feel excitement can ignite some enthusiasm about life.
  5. Powerless – If you’re in a role, whether at home or at work, where your feelings or opinions are not respected or heard, you feel unimportant and thus, feel an inner contempt.
  6. Rigid – If you’re rigid, you always find something to be upset about. 
  7. Obsessed with competition – If you’re excessively competitive, you’re ALWAYS competing which creates unnecessary pressure in your life. Your happiness is contingent on whether you’re “winning” and thus, you’re in a constant state of stress.
  8. Angry and explosive – If you’re angry, you’re often loud, explosive and mad about people and things.
  9. Chronically ill – If you have a chronic illness or condition that has not been controlled, this can lead to relentless stress.

The Takeaway: You may not be able to control stressful situations, but you can control the way you react to them. By journaling your feelings, you become more aware of the things that cause you stress. When you’re aware of your stress and what triggers it, you can develop a strategy to manage it.