deserve a short break in Bath. The thermal spas can help wash away the increasing stress levels felt in the UK.
“The UK Is a Stressful Nation”
How stressed are the Brits? In a 2018 survey commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation, more than 70% of the participants said they felt overwhelming stress the previous year. It was intense enough they could hardly cope.
Stress was also severe in certain types of population. At least 30% of the adults said they developed suicidal feelings while 29% of participants between 18 and 24 years old self-harmed. Between men and women, the latter were also more likely to report stress, and the reason goes beyond gender issues.
Based on other data, women are more sensitive to the symptoms of stress such as headaches, indigestion, lack of sleep, and mental health changes. It could be because they are also more prone to hormone imbalances. Females also tend to consult with their physicians often than the males, so their complaints of stress will more likely be reported.
Open Access Government, meanwhile, revealed that Cardiff might be the most stressed region in the UK. At least 55% of them claimed they were extremely stressed daily.
The Causes of Stress among Brits
When it comes to the causes of their stress, the reasons are no different from the rest of the world. The Brits are just as worried about their finances and job security. But the Axa survey also revealed another reason: always-on culture. It seems that people in the UK couldn’t catch a break, especially when it comes to working. If they’re not on their workstations, they may be at home answering to work-related emails or at a commute, taking phone calls.
Technology is also another root cause of stress for 16- to 24-year-olds. To be more specific, they are worried about social media. The likes of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can overload them with information and even over-stimulate them. Over the years, these sites have also become avenues for violence, cyberbullying, and body shaming. All these can damage a person’s self-esteem. For the young ones, this problem can magnify since they may not possess the right mechanism to deal with it.
Why Manage Stress
Stress is already one of the risk factors for a wide variety of health concerns. These can include obesity, heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. Studies showed that there’s not only a link between depression and stress, but there’s also a cause-and-effect relationship. Such a connection exists even when the source of stress is a good one, such as a job promotion.
More clinicians recognize stress-induced depression. It occurs because of the over-activity of the body’s ability to respond to stress and its corresponding hormones. A 2015 study published in Circulation suggested that people with both anxiety and depression can increase the risk of premature death among individuals with heart problems.
In hindsight, you need to stress. It keeps you alert of the different threats. It teaches you to be careful. But like everything else in life, too much of it is dangerous. You need to learn to rein it in. Take a vacation. Have a nice bath. Focus on relaxing yourself to bring your levels down.
