Last week, the American Psychological Association released research showing that a third of Americans are living with extreme stress and that almost half of Americans believe that their stress has risen in the past five years.
What does the APA consider extreme stress? Sufferers have problems managing their work and family responsibilities. Many have physical symptoms related to their stress, and their relationships often reflect the issues, as well. 77% of Americans report experiencing physical symptoms, including
- fatigue (51%)
- headaches (44%)
- upset stomach (34%)
- muscle tension (30%)
- change in appetite (23%)
- teeth grinding (17%)
- change in sex drive (15%)
- feeling dizzy (13%)
73% of Americans also report a wide variety of psychological symptoms. These are scary numbers, all around. Stress, at a very basic level, can make it hard for us to lead our lives. We all say that we want to minimize stress, but the entire American culture seems to pivot on it. After all, most employers want the maximum effort out of workers, which means pushing them as hard as possible. Individuals want certain things out of life, so they push themselves. The only way to live a stress-free life these days is to opt out entirely. How many of us are ready to do that? I can’t think of more than one or two people in my life who are willing to say that a nice house or a comfortable lifestyle simply isn’t worth it. Stress management is becoming the American watch-word, because stress elimination just isn’t possible.
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2 Comments
Write a Comment»It is evident that stress affects us in so many different ways. So often though, we will reach for a pill to cure a symptom of stress rather than tackle the source of the stress itself.
Doug
http://www.dougwoods.com
You are right. It is necessary to exclude the reason of stress, not a symptoms.