AMERICAN STRESS IS SPIKING

According to a new survey from the American Psychological Association, Americans are feeling more and more anxious. “Over 80% of Americans said inflation and issues related to invasion of Ukraine are significant sources of stress”, revealed Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the association. She went on to say that “Typically, our highest levels of stress have been in the mid 60s, so hitting, for example 87(%) for inflation as a source of stress is truly astounding.”

This survey was reported on NPR’s ALL THINGS CONSIDERED on March 10., 2022. After two years of the pandemic, a volatile stock market affected by the war in Ukraine, continued increases at the gas pump due to high oil prices, it is little surprise that Americans are anxious. Wright explained that, “This is the highest number of people who have ever reported feeling stressed about any issue in the 15 years this survey has been conducted.”

The survey also found that almost two-thirds of the respondents felt their lives had been permanently changed by the pandemic. Wright reflected that, “The survey revealed widespread grief, sense of loss, continual hardships for vulnerable populations, including communities of color.” Besides the fear of contracting or a family member contracting the latest variant of Covid 19, concern about the economy and personal finances was also high. Stress from this issue was reported by 65% of respondents.

Unfortunately, people are making unhealthy choices to cope with the stress. Two of the most common coping techniques reported in the survey were an increase in the consumption of alcohol and overeating. Nearly 25% of those responding reported drinking more alcohol while almost 60% said they experienced undesired weight gain. Since stress can impact how people eat in different ways there was dramatic change whether they ate less due to stress with the loss of an average of 27 pounds or they ate more with an average gain of 26 pounds.

Relationships were also affected by the stress being experienced at this time. Relationships under strain or ending were reported by 58% of respondents in the survey. Different views of the pandemic including mask-wearing, cancelling events or gatherings over worry about spreading Covid, vaccines, have affected social relationships at the personal and civic levels.

“We know stress can lead to physical consequences, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertensions, “ noted Wright. “Emotionally, it can lead to things like depression, anxiety disorders, difficulty sleeping, which we’ve seen in the survey as well.”

If you need help to deal with the stresses in your life, go to the home page of this blog and click on Anxiety in the categories offered in the right hand corner of the page. It will take you to several articles on what you can do to relieve stress.. Or check out my book THE ANXIETY TOOLBOX available on Amazon in eBook or paperback.