We all experience stress & overwhelm from time to time. No one is exempt from this.
The worldwide statistics on stress and overwhelm are quite staggering:
In an American Psychological Association study (2019), over ¾ of the US population reported symptoms of stress and overwhelm. Approximately 246 million people. A 2022 study showed that approximately 27% of the US population was so stressed most days that they could not function. In the UK, similar statistics regarding stress and overwhelm can be observed. The UK Mental Health Foundation reported in 2018 that approximately 74% of the population was so stressed and overwhelmed they felt they were unable to cope. Moreover, a 2019 Gallup poll showed that 1/3 of the world’s population was feeling stressed. That is over 3 BILLION people, worldwide. And these statistics are from the pre-Covid era.*
You are not alone when it comes to stress and overwhelm.
There are common themes for stress and overwhelm, which can be attributed to work-related challenges, family challenges, and relationship challenges. Expectations, pressures, feeling judged, excluded, and fear of ‘getting it wrong’ are cited as some of the reasons for stress and overwhelm in these categories. Long-term stress has been shown to contribute to a sense of overwhelm.
Clearly this is a worldwide issue of epidemic proportions.
Research also shows that there is a disparity between the number of experiencing stress and overwhelm and the number that reach out for support. This may be attributed to several factors, including cultural norms, fear of judgement, pictures we may have, feeling pressure to succeed, stigma and more. Our thoughts can make us feel as if we are alone, as if we are the ‘only one’ experiencing a difficult situation. This could not be further from the truth!
Supporting you to become more aware of the signs of stress and overwhelm, its effects, and what you can do to support yourself is our aim at True Reflection.
We all feel external pressures on our body, whether that be from self-imposed deadlines, things we feel we ‘must do’ or things that are imposed by others. These pressures are felt, often physically, upon our body. Some of these feelings include anxiety, pressure coming down on us, irritability, anger, aggression, sadness, nausea, indigestion, headaches, body aches, sweating, heart palpitations, and more. We may find it difficult to sleep at night or to focus and concentrate. We might feel things are out of control and have a sense of impending doom. These, and more, according to research, are all things we may be feeling related to stress and overwhelm. This also affects our behaviours – with ourselves and with others.
Therefore, it is not that we need to eradicate stress and overwhelm completely, as this is an impossibility, but to change how we deal with it. How we live our lives, how we support ourselves on a daily basis can make a huge difference in our level of steadiness in life, and hence reduce the impact of stress and overwhelm. We become steady, solid. We are not knocked about by life's stressors.
At True Reflection, we specialise in supporting people to settle, to come back to themselves, to support themselves in each moment by the way in which they live. Caring for ourselves deeply, setting standards, learning to say ‘no’, observing how we react and interact with others, staying connected to ourselves, and becoming our own counsel are ways in which we can deeply support ourselves when faced with stressful events.
If you or a loved one is facing a difficult time, please get in touch. We are here to support.
*Sources: American Psychological Association (2019); UK Mental Health Foundation (2021)
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