Stress Is on the Rise!

According to journalist Sharon Jayson, there is a significant increase in young adults struggling with stress.

"A scientific analysis of stress over time offers some proof that there's more stress in people's lives today than 25 years ago," says Sharon Jayson. "Today, results show increases in stress in almost every demographic category from 1983 to 2009, ranging from 10%-30%."

Why are people more stressed today?

According to David Spiegel, director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, it is because "today's economy creates more pressure, it's harder to 'turn off' information, and it's harder to 'buffer ourselves from the world'."

What did the results say?

The results show specifics on who is feeling the negative effects of stress. From 1983 to 2009, stress has increased by 18% in women and 24% in men. However, it's not women who are more likely to struggle with physical symptoms caused by stress. Those with less education and people with lower incomes are both at risk of health issues caused by stress. The studies also showed that as people age, their stress decreases, which just makes me look forward to the possibly of retirement even more.

Good Stress Vs. Bad Stress

I don't know about you, but I get stressed at the word 'stress'! However, recently I learned that not all stress is the bad kind of stress. 'Eustress' is the good kind of stress and Distress is the bad kind of stress.

Eustress (Good Stress)

Good things can lead to a stress reaction, too. For an example, a job promotion could cause eustress.

• Short spirts of energy
• Motivates
• It is considered apart of our "coping abilities"
• Feels exciting
• Improves performance

Distress (Bad Stress)

I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of distress. However, for the sake of explaining the differences between good stress and bad stress, I'm afraid I'll have to define distress. Distress is caused when bad things happen to you and you are forced to adapt.

• Causes anxiety
• Can be short or long-term
• It is considered to be outside of our "coping abilities"
• Feels unpleasant. Causing physical symptoms.
• Causes low-quality performance
• Can lead to further mental and physical problems

Hello. Nice to meet you! How are you? Hmm... this feels like a really one-sided conversation... why don't you follow me on social media so I can get to know you too?

About the Author

I started blogging about two years ago and my collection of blogs and articles is getting pretty impressive. I’ve taken online classes for writing and even some classes about the art of blogging itself. It would be really awesome if you join the adventure and maybe even help me think of what to write about next. If you would like to submit some feedback or ideas, you can always tweet me on Twitter.

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Work Cited

Jayson, Sharon. “Stress Levels Increased since 1983, New Analysis Shows.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 13 June 2012, usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-13/stress-increase-over-time/55587296/1.

Luke, Paul. “Seriously Stressed-out Students on the Rise on Post-Secondary Campuses.” Www.theprovince.com, www.theprovince.com/business/Seriously+stressed+students+rise+post+secondary+campuses/9756065/story.html.