WHY ARE WE SO STRESSED OUT?

WHY ARE WE SO STRESSED OUT?

We're living in difficult times and things
don't seem to be getting any easier. Sometimes life can
seem terribly painful and unfair, yet somehow we manage to
struggle on, day after day, hoping and praying that things
will soon get better.

But day by day the world is becoming a crazier and
more uncertain place to live in, not to mention stressful.
Nothing seems safe anymore. Millions of people are in record
levels of debt. Many are losing their jobs, their homes, their
health and sometimes even their sanity.

Worry, depression and anxiety seem to have become a way of life .


In 2002, the cover of Time magazine proclaimed this loud
and clear on one of their covers as the featured story in that
issue. The constant stress and uncertainties of living in the
21st century have certainly taken their toll, and as a result
many of us seem to live a life of constant fear and worry.

The economy is another stressor. Our country is in
debt and so are many Americans. Soaring gas prices,
outrageous housing costs, even the cost of food has sent
many Americans to work in jobs that are unsatisfying and
tedious. They work these jobs because they need a
paycheck. Today, it’s more important to bring home the
bacon rather than work in a dream career.

Having more women in the workplace adds to the
stress. So many women feel the need to be everything to
everyone and that includes a paycheck earner, house
keeper, mom, wife, daughter, and sibling. The only problem
with that is some women just don’t make any time for
themselves thus contributing to their stress levels being at
an all-time high.

Even children can feel the pressure of stress and
anxiety. Teenagers who want to go to college find
themselves pushing themselves during their studies to try
and obtain scholarships so they can attend schools that have
ever increasing tuition costs.

They find themselves having to hold down part-time
jobs on top of all that to earn money for extras that their
parents can no longer afford. Add peer pressure into the
mix and you have a veritable pressure cooker!
Cell phones, internet, palm pilots, blackberries, i-pods
– we are always on the go and always reachable. We don’t
make time to relax and enjoy life any more.

Why not? We certainly should!

We feel pressure to do these things because we think
we HAVE to, not because we WANT to. All too often, it’s
difficult for people to just say “No”. Not saying that one
little word piles up un-needed expectations and obligations
that make us feel anxious.