What Is Causing Increased Stress Levels in the US?

 Studies have shown that Americans are more stressed than ever before. A list of the most stressed states can make for some rather sour reading. But what is causing increased levels of stress in the United States? Is it something that is going to go away soon? Well, that’s what we want to take a look at. 

People Are Finding It Easier To Talk About Their Stress

Now, don’t get us wrong. We firmly believe that stress levels in the US are on the rise. However, the rise may not be as sharp as stats may make it appear.

In our experience, people find it a lot easier to talk about their stress levels. This means that more stress is being reported and treated. This is a fantastic thing! 

Political Uncertainty  

It is no secret that over the last decade or so, America has faced many political issues. People are more divided than ever before, and people on both sides of the political spectrum are worried about their political future. Everybody believes everybody else is against them and is about to strip their rights. Whether that is true or not is not for us to decide.

What we can tell you, however, is that one of the significant sources of stress in the US is political uncertainty.  

Financial Uncertainty

As we write this, we are about to head into a recession. This is always going to cause issues for people.

We are in a period where wages are relatively stagnant, but essential costs such as gas, food, and rent are rising.  Many people are worried about whether they can afford what they need.

In some parts of the country, we have even seen benefits cut. 

Work Obligations

During COVID-19, people lost their jobs. A lot of people lost their jobs. This meant a significant fall in income for many. While this has somewhat recovered, we still need to arrive.

A lot of people are feeling a massive amount of stress at work. People work longer and harder, often for less pay than ever before. 

Work is always a primary cause of stress. After all, you will probably be stuck in your job for 8-10 hours daily. There is little else that you can focus on, and it isn’t like you can walk away because you can’t afford anything. 

War

Sure, there hasn’t been a war on American soil for a while now, but this hasn’t stopped people from stressing about war’s potential. As we write this, there are talks of North Korea and Russia launching nukes toward the US (highly unlikely), and China seems to have managed to get many Americans into a spot of bother too.

You can likely blame these issues on the increased consumption of news. 

Crime

Crime in the US is actually on a downward trajectory. While living in the country is still a lot more dangerous than in other western nations, it isn’t the crime-ridden hellhole that some would have you believe.

Still, the 24-hour news cycle does have to focus on something, and crime is often a go-to here. Studies have shown that people are becoming increasingly scared of mass shootings, terrorist attacks, assaults, etc. All of them are exceedingly unlikely to happen, but with how the news goes on, you could imagine that something like this will happen every time you step outside your door.

Sadly, this is something we can only see changing for a while. 

Conclusion

Americans are more stressed than ever. There are many reasons for this. It could be increased news media consumption (essentially designed to terrify), longer working hours, financial stress, and even political stress. None of this is something that we see changing soon, sadly. A lot of what causes stress in Americans is due to American culture. This would need a drastic shift to make people feel more relaxed. For now, all people can do is rely on coping techniques.