Don’t stress out, accept things as they are
Stress is real and its origins and consequences not insignificant. April happens to be Stress Awareness Month and this annual (since 1992) campaign is designed to highlight the dangerous nature of stress and to promote healthy strategies of coping. How does stress manifest itself? According to the website Health Assured, symptomatology runs the gamut from emotional (feeling overwhelmed, fearful or depressed), mental (having difficulty concentrating or worrying thoughts), physical (experiencing headaches, difficulty sleeping or panic attacks) to behavioural (eating too much or too little, drinking or smoking too much). As remedies, they offer the following. > Take time out from work. > Talk about serious problems. > Accept the things you cannot change. > Develop interests and hobbies. > Build your support network. Also helpful can be meditation, medication and cognitive behavioural therapy.
While acknowledging that some stress can be, at times, beneficial, the American Psychological Association (APA) warns about “chronic” stress. “Unlike everyday stressors, which can be managed with healthy stress management behaviours, untreated chronic stress can result in serious health conditions including anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system. Research shows that stress can contribute to the development of major illnesses, such as heart disease, depression and obesity. Some studies have even suggested that unhealthy chronic stress management, such as overeating ‘comfort’ foods, contribute.”
APA goes on to say, “Millennials and Gen Xers report much higher levels of stress regarding specific health care issues for themselves, their loved ones or in general than do Boomers and older adults (classified as “Matures” in the Stress in America survey). These generational differences are most evident when looking at concerns related to accessing mental and reproductive health care services.
And then there’s anxiety. Although stress and anxiety are separate constructs — stress being a reaction to what’s happening in the present and anxiety being what is worried about for the future — one may
Stress and anxiety are separate constructs — stress a reaction to what’s happening and anxiety being worried about future — but one begets the other
beget the other. Anxiety disorders constitute the most prevalent class of mental health problems in children and adolescents, with prevalence rates estimated from 15-20 per cent. The class of anxiety and related disorders includes Separation Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobia, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.”
“Adolescents today have a reputation for being more fragile, less resilient and more overwhelmed than their parents were when they were growing up. Sometimes they’re called spoiled or coddled or helicoptered. But a closer look paints a far more heartbreaking portrait of why young people are suffering. Anxiety and depression in high school kids have been on the rise since 2012 after several years of stability. It’s a phenomenon that cuts across all demographics — suburban, urban and rural; those who are college bound and those who aren’t. Family financial stress can exacerbate these issues, and studies show that girls are more at risk than boys,” writes Susanna Schrobsdorff
Of course, for both youth and adults, experts suspect that these statistics are on the low end of what’s really happening since many people do not self-identify as needing help for anxiety and depression.
Too often at the end of this trail is suicidal ideation and behaviour. And here the numbers are very bad, especially among American adolescents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (link is external) reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24, resulting in more than 4,600 lives lost each year. —Psychology Today Stephen Gray Wallace is the director of the Center
for Adolescent Research and Education, Florida