Why are these times so stressful?

Abstract

Mismatched expectation is the enemy of happiness. Psychologically speaking, anything around which we anchor our existence can become such a core part of how we see the world that when it ceases to be, we experience loss and are left ‘wandering’. At a personal level the reaction of grief to loss is a natural one and can have far-reaching effects on emotions and well-being as it affects our lives on many different levels. Most readily we can relate this to bereavement, to the break-up of a meaningful relationship and also to losing a job. However, we can also experience a lesser form of loss in our daily lives as disappointment or disillusionment when plans, communications or events do not go as well as expected. Indeed, we base our lives around assumptions about what we will be doing, about the expectations others have of us and those we have of ourselves. This could be termed a ‘psychological contract’, which is made up of an unwritten set of expectations existing between us and those who have a stake in these sets of expectations. Where either party fails to match these expectations, then there is the potential for unhappiness, disagreement and even poorer health. In the shifting environment created by uncertain economic times, there is far greater likelihood that our expectations will not be matched.