It's an unfortunate paradox that many of life's most momentous occasions are both the best of times and the worst of times. The events that should be some of the most joyful -– getting married, having kids, taking time off work to travel abroad –- can also be the most stress-inducing. Whether it’s the pressure of planning a major event or the anxiety of trying to live up to our own expectations of how happy we should be, once-joyful milestones can easily devolve into anxiety-filled occasions.
Though it may seem counterintuitive for happiness to cause panic, anything that disrupts our daily routine and normal modes of interaction can cause a stress reaction. The body's stress response can be set off by any event that triggers a significant emotional response, throwing off our physical and mental equilibrium -- thereby making a wedding practically as stressful as a divorce and a tropical vacation more anxiety-filled than a hectic week in the office. Click through the slideshow below for 10 pivotal life events that commonly cause stress -- and ways to ways to bring the joy back into your most memorable milestones.
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