Young People are the Most Stressed Out Age Group


A new survey claims that young people (those aged between 16 – 24) are the most stressed generation in the UK. Popularly known as ‘millennials’, the age group are suffering due to significant pressures from work, studies and finances.

Stress and Anxiety are Daily Occurance

A survey of 2,000 people conducted by market researchers Mintel indicated the trend. Approximately 15% of UK residents suffer from daily stress. Only under a tenth of these people are over the age of 55 and claim to be stressed daily. Stress amongst this age group isn’t surprising considering they must deal with significant responsibilities like family and mortgages. Overall, 85% of the sample experienced anxiety at some point in their lives. Additionally, 30% claimed to do so three times in a week.

Young People are Struggling

Despite perceptions that young people lack anything to worry about, they are dealing with stress on multiple fronts. This includes their being successful in their studies, work and becoming financially independent. Moreover, some of these aspects are causes of stress and anxiety on a regular basis.

Unfair Judgement Could be Harming Young People

One of the issues highlighted in the survey is that young people feel that they are unfairly judged as being overly sensitive. The controversial terms such as ‘snowflake’ has become a popular way of referring to young people that individuals deem as emotionally vulnerable. Almost three quarters of the 16-24 age bracket included in the survey thought that the term was extremely unfair and potentially damaging to their mental health.

Awareness and Conversations About Mental Health Will Help

Promoting awareness in the mainstream media could be highly beneficial. Young people need to find time to relax and have a break away from what is causing their stresses. Less severe manifestations of stress and anxiety can be greatly helped by simply taking some time off along with studying and working. However, more severe manifestations should be attended to by therapists and health professionals.

Mental health issues need to be acknowledged amongst young people. Their young age isn’t an indicator of their ability to cope with stress and anxiety. They may not suffer in the same way as previous generations but the issues they face are still valid. Undermining the experience of young people by unfairly labelling them ‘snowflakes’ doesn’t give them the chance to acknowledge their issues and seek help.

 

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