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There's no way for us to tell what specifically brought on your case of Rheumatoid Arthritis.   Christine Miller on this site wrote about studies in mice that showed that chronic stress could "exacerbate inflammation and increases a person's risk of developing autoimmune inflammatory diseases like RA; neurodegenerative diseases, like MS, and central nervous system infections."   Stress can aslo exacerbate a rheumatoid arthritis flare in people who already have the disease.   I would consider stress management an integral part of your overall health care regimen. Talk to your doctor about methods you can try. One that seems to work for some people (but I can't tell you if it would work for you) is biofeedback. There's also tai chi, meditation and counseling or therapy.   Take heart! And take care of yourself.