I need to apologize for there will not be any Ukraine updates this weekend for I will be helping my daughter get ready for the memorial she has put together for my son-in-law….my weekend posting schedule will be pretty sparse until this gathering is done and in the bag….the updates will return Monday if all goes well….again I apologize.
So are you stressed out?
I know I am…… but it is a continuing family drama that has me stressed…..but what about the rest of America?
Rising prices…..inflation set to break the bank…..war……paying bills with little cash……hunger……etc etc……crisis after crisis has taken a toll…..
Feeling stressed out more than you were, say, in 2019? Makes sense, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association, which says that a COVID-fatigued America now grappling with higher prices at the pumps and supermarkets, as well as gruesome images from a war overseas, is being hit with “unprecedented levels of stress,” reports NBC News. The APA’s annual “Stress in America” poll—conducted for the association by the Harris Poll between Feb. 7 and Feb. 14, surveying more than 3,000 US adults—found that 87% of respondents feel there’s been “a constant stream of crises without a break over the last two years,” with 73% acknowledging they’ve felt “overwhelmed” by it all.
Getting more specific, the poll found 87% of those surveyed said that a “significant source” of said stress was due to a spike in prices of groceries, gas, and other necessary items and services due to inflation. That top factor was followed by supply chain issues (81%), the vaguer “global uncertainty” (81%), Russia striking back over Ukraine via a cyber- or nuclear attack (80%), and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (80%), per a release. Meanwhile, stress about money is the highest it’s been since 2015. The APA’s Lynn Bufka, a clinical psychologist, tells NBC the percentages are “startling,” in that so many people are clumped together sharing the same stressors, instead of feeling stressed from a variety of factors unique to their own circumstances.
“It’s like being kicked while you’re down,” Johns Hopkins psychiatrist Dr. Kali Cyrus, who wasn’t involved with the poll, tells NPR of the financial stressors and current war in Ukraine bearing down on Americans right after the exhaustion of dealing with two years of the pandemic. How everyone’s been dealing with this excess stress, per the poll: drinking booze (nearly a quarter copped to this coping mechanism) and seeing unwanted weight fluctuations, with nearly 60% saying they’d dropped or gained pounds. There is some good news in all of this, Cyrus tells NPR. She notes that while it may be harder for some than for others, and “it might take some time … most people are resilient and actually recover” from temporary stressors like the ones we’re facing now.
Some blame the internet and constant ‘downscrolling’ to get thew ‘news’……
Many people have experienced chronic stress since the pandemic lockdowns. Added to this are the climate crisis, the increasing cost of living and most recently threats to European and global security due to the conflict in Ukraine.
To some, it may seem that there is never any good news anymore. This is of course not true, but when we’re doomscrolling – spending an excessive amount of screen time devoted to reading negative news – we can become locked into thinking it is.
Doomscrolling can promote feelings of anxiety and depression. For example, consider how sad and exhausted you may feel when watching a drama with tragic events and sad music in the background. In contrast, if you watch a funny film or romantic comedy with lively music, you may feel upbeat and energised. This is due to two psychological phenomena: “mood induction” (an intervention that can change our mood) and empathy.
I am use to doing massive research on-line so that does not effect me…..but I can see where most would become stressed out trying to find the information they are looking for…..
So are you stressed out?
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In Saner Thought 