Voices
of a loved one, job loss or divorce.
Nowadays, it is palpable in the air
at almost all times. Previous generations could leave stress at the
office, and wind down at home. Today, with smartphones and social
media, there are fewer boundaries,
and less downtime. The American
Psychological Association’s (APA)
most recent statistics show:
• 69 percent of U.S. adults
surveyed reported experiencing
physical symptoms of stress
during the previous year.
• Of those Americans reporting
extreme stress, 20 percent reported extreme stress levels of
eight, nine or 10.
• Young people are more stressed
— 39 percent of Millennials say
their stress has increased in the
last year, compared to 36 percent
of Gen Xers, 33 percent of Boomers and 29 percent of Matures.
THE GOOD NEWS
Though stress is a constant companion, there are signs of improvement in how people are dealing with
stress. In managing their stress,
more people appear to be making
choices that help rather than hurt
them. Unhealthy behaviors like eating and drinking alcohol to manage
stress are on a steady decline.
RANDY
TARAN
HUFFINGTON
04.28.13
• More people are turning to
exercise to manage their stress
(52 percent compared with 47
percent in 2011).
• 25 percent of Americans report
eating to manage stress compared
to 34 percent in 2008.
• 13 percent report drinking alcohol to manage their stress compared with 18 percent in 2008.
• Overall stress declined from
5.2 on a 10-point scale in 2011 to
4.9 in 2012.
Stress may be considered
the new ‘normal,’ but it doesn’t
have to be that way.”
OK, so stress is here — what
can we do? Let’s look at how to
alleviate stress on four levels:
PHYSICAL: It’s common knowledge that exercise is key, but
having an exercise buddy can
make the difference to stick to it
when motivation lags.
MENTAL: Just as the food we take
in affects the health of our bodies,
what we take into our minds affects the health and resilience of
our minds. Are the thoughts you