Stress in the United States of America and how you can cope with it

Every year since 2007, the American Psychological Association (APA) has released an annual Stress in America™ survey which explores sources of stress, attitudes around stress, how people cope with it, and its impact, among other issues involved with stress. This post covers some of the findings from the 2013 study as they relate to teenagers, sleep, exercise and eating. Some tips about how to cope with stress are also offered.

Stress and teenagers

It is really no secret that many Americans are more stressed than ever, but the concerning news that the APA's study found is that stress is on the rise in teenagers. On a scale of 1-10, teens reported that their average stress level was 5.8, which is well over the number considered to be a healthy amount of stress (3.9), and was even greater than the average stress level of adults (5.1). 31% of these teens say that their level of stress is greater than it was in the last year. Of similar concern is the fact that many teens report that they don't know how to cope with this stress, with only about one of every two teenagers stating they feel confident in handling their personal problems, and 42% stating that they don't believe they do enough to manage their stress.

Stress and sleep

APA's study demonstrated that unhealthy stress levels interfere with the sleep of both adults and teenagers. Good sleep has many benefits to health and overall well being, so it is a big problem when we are not sleeping well. 43% of adults and 35% of teens indicated stress has caused them to lie awake at night. There are several reasons related to stress why people do not sleep well. Fortunately, many resources exist on how to get a good night's sleep, which include setting up sleep routines, making sure to wake up and go to bed at the same time every night, and deep breathing.

Stress and exercise

Exercise has many stress-busting effects, and APA's survey found that many Americans realize this, but even so, do not exercise daily. 37% of adults and 20% of teens reported they exercised less than once a week if at all. 39% of adults stated that they skipped exercising because of stress. If you feel short on time or struggle with getting enough exercise, you can still incorporate easy ways of getting exercise into your daily routine. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park a little further away from your destination, or just take two minutes out of your day to do some push ups.

Stress and eating

The Stress in America™ survey indicates that stress contributes to how Americans eat. 38% of adults indicated that they overate or ate unhealthily because of stress, and 27% reported that they eat to manage stress. 26% of teens also reported they eat unhealthily to cope with stress, with 33% of those saying that they eat to distract themselves from whatever is causing them stress. With many negative health consequences of obesity, these statistics are concerning. It would do Americans well to get a better grip on stress.

How to conquer stress

The APA notes that popular ways of coping with stress are not always effective. 40% of adults indicate that they watch television or movies for more than two hours a day to cope with stress, but only 32% of them state that doing so is helpful. 42% note that they go online to cope with stress, with only 29% of them saying it is actually helpful. One of the most beneficial coping strategies was found to be psychotherapy, with 68% of respondents citing that this was helpful. Only 5%, however, indicated that they actually did this. If you are a parent of a stressed out teen, your son or daughter could benefit tremendously from talking to a mental health professional.

APA suggests that you not only talk to your primary care physician about stress, but make sure to also seek psychological help and have your psychologist and physician work together to help you conquer stress.

_Source

_{American Psychological Association (2014). Stress in America: Are Teens Adopting Adults’ Stress Habits? Washington D.C.}