The American Psychological Association's annual Stress in America survey was released this week. The results have some pretty staggering things to say about Generation Z.
Generation Z is referred to as anyone born on or after 1995.
The number-one thing we're most worried about are school shootings.
Of those interviewed, 72% said that school shootings are a main cause of stress. Out of those, 56% said they experience stress when even thinking of the probability of being in one themselves. Which makes sense. Considering that there have been dozens of schools shootings this year alone; the same amount there was the entirety of 2017. There was even a school shooting close to my hometown; I'm stressed too.
We're worried about this country... yet we're not voting?
Now, these stats are a little frustrating. 68% said they were worried about the state of our country, but only 54% said they were going to vote. If you genuinely care about what the world is going to be like by the time you fully have to experience everything that everyone else has voted for... you'll wish you voted.
We're also stressed about immigration, sexual abuse and climate change. However, Arthur Evans, a psychologist and CEO of the American Psychological Association, claims that this is because young adults don't know how to process stress as adults do.
"While young people are facing many of the same issues that older adults face, they have not yet had the life experiences that many older adults have had, such as practice responding to and coping with a broad range of stressors," he said.
Our mental health is worrisome.
Generation Z is more likely to report mental health conditions than any other generation — 37% reported that they have actively sought help for their mental issues.
"The fact that more Gen Z individuals than adults in other generations said that they thought their mental health was fair or poor is concerning," Evans said.
Social media also played a big role in the decline of our self-esteem. Of those polled, 45% said they feel judged on social media platforms, hence why we care so much about what we look like and what we say.
All in all, our mental health and stress is something we need to get in control. Our generation is clearly not struggling with accepting the fact that they need help or that they are worried about more than one thing every single day. But not a lot of us are actively seeking and maintaining assistance, but we should.
There are so many ways to manage stress. A few are: sleep management, balancing between friends and family, exercising, eating healthy, talking to professionals, and more.
Don't be afraid to accept help, embrace it.
