Whether something sets off a stress response depends on the person and their situation at the time.
examples of triggers of a stress reaction
traumatic events
finance
fear of negative feelings arising
sleep deprivation
social interactions
family relationships
overcrowding
multiple or conflicting roles
competition
reduced capability
change of role
success
failure
anniversaries
times of the day or week
loss
uncertainty
change
sickness
someone else’s stress
stress
noise
particular sound frequencies
exhaustion
over-stimulation
foods
TV
air borne pollutants
fluorescent lights
drugs
chemicals
perfumes particularly artificial
Multiple stressors can combine to reduce tolerance to stress even if not stressful by themselves.
industrial stress
Stress in the city leaves us geared up to confront danger. The risks of crowds and fast moving vehicles are almost impossible to assess in the milliseconds available as they flash by. These are potentially deadly. Most civilians cope by suppressing their natural stress response, just as soldiers learn to suppress their survival instincts after being taught the reflex of advancing into incoming fire.
Urban living plays out against a backdrop of low level stressors like noise, overwork, poverty, bullying, isolation, and media violence that have a slow cumulative effect.
Long periods of low level stress from poverty, noise, discomfort or caring for an incapacitated relative even if they are tolerable for a while can eventually become overwhelming as the effects accumulate. They can be traumatizing.