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What is stressing out Americans? New study dives into the factors
Joneé Lewis reports
TAMPA, Fla. - A survey by the American Psychological Association (APA) looked at the range of stressors people have experienced over the past few years and found a majority of Americans say they have "a great deal of stress."
The APA’s "Stress in America" study looked at people’s views on government, civil liberties, race, inflation, violence, crime, and healthcare. Twenty-seven percent said that most days, they are so stressed they can’t function. Nearly half (46%) of those under 35 and more than half (56%) of Black adults under 35 agreed with this statement.
"What it's telling us is the level of distress and stress and the demands on people has gotten to a point where it's just really overwhelming people," Dr. Lynn Bufka with the American Psychological Association said.
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Thirty-seven percent of adults reported that when they are stressed, they can’t bring themselves to do anything with several responding that they’ve experienced health impacts due to stress including headache and fatigue.
"We don't know what's going to happen. And our sense that life is fairly predictable, we know what's going to happen, we can expect this to happen tomorrow, kind of got blown up when the pandemic happened and everything around us changed," Bufka said.
There are things you can do to cope during times of uncertainty.
"There are things that we can do. Are there things we have some control over? And if there are, let's try to make those things more predictable, more consistent, more reliable. Because when everything feels uncertain, that's tough. So that's one place to start," Bufka said.
MORE: Families who eat meals together are often less stressed, survey finds
People react differently to stress, so doctors say don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional for help if you’re overwhelmed.