63 percent of Americans say the future of the nation is a very or somewhat significant source of stress for them.
Politics and policy edged out the usual causes of stress in a recent American Psychological Association survey.
The Trump effect: Politics may actually be stressing you out
https://www.app.com/story/news/health/2018/02/21/trump-stress-politics/338496002/
After 23 of years working in the mental health field, Angela Grayson encountered something totally new.
For the first time, some of her patients pointed directly to the president of the United States as a major cause of their stress.
"The change in the political climate has affected a lot of people," says Grayson, of Good Fruit Expressive Arts Counseling & Psychotherapy in Talleyville, Delaware.
She said she has seen a 30 percent increase in patients over the past year. "They come in complaining about feeling overwhelmed and depressed," she said, "both personally and in the workplace."
Grayson's anecdotal experience backs up conclusions reached by the American Psychological Association, which recently released its annual "Stress in America" report. The study found that 63 percent of Americans say the future of the nation is a very or somewhat significant source of stress for them.
"I don't know of a single person who hasn't been affected by this to a high degree," said D.W. Dunphy, a writer and editor in Middletown. "In the past, people used to be able to compartmentalize, but now, politics is like water. It's seeping into everything."
"There used to be topics you'd avoid discussing at Thanksgiving because you didn't want to start an argument," Dunphy said. "But now, when something as common as football has been politicized, there aren't many safe topics left. It's almost like it's Thanksgiving every day."
"We live in a world where everyone has to be right, where the folks you would expect to set the example debase themselves and one another on a daily basis," said Terry Luciani, an independent voter and dad in his 40s from Monroe Township.
In the APA report, politics and policy edged out the usual causes of stress, such as money (62 percent) and work (61 percent). Even though survey respondents included people who lived through World War II, the Vietnam War and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, 59 percent said they consider the current time to be the lowest point in U.S . history that they can remember.
"Every year for the last 11 years, we've asked about stress related to money and work — they are almost always the top two. This year, we found that stress about the nation was on par with those, which was surprising to us," says Vaile Wright, director of research and special projects for the association.
Wright's research over that time shows average stress levels in the country have trended downwards with "the exception of a statistically significant spike in January right before the inauguration."
While those average stress levels have stabilized, more people are reporting symptoms of stress such as headaches, stomach problems and insomnia.
"I'm really outraged at the tone of things now," says Terrance Vann, 26, an artist based in Wilmington, Delaware, who painted President Donald Trump with the words "racist joke" across his face after hearing about his vulgar comments regarding Haiti and Africa. "This is how we're being represented? What does it say about how far we've come?"
"All those folks who say politics are the same as it has always been, I disagree," Luciani said. "A simple rule should be that anything the elected officials of our country speak about, whether in a debate or in their elected roles, should be fine for an elementary student to read. This is not the case anymore."
Barbara Winkler, a visual arts teacher who lives in New Castle, Delaware, says Election Night 2016 left her "emotionally and physically upset."
"And watching it go in the opposite of the direction of everything I believe in and fought for the future," Winkler said, "it just seems that every section is being torn down. It's very hard."
Wright, of the APA, said therapists take note when circumstances outside of a patient's personal life cause significant stress.
"Those things also spark our attention because when you have these symptoms of stress, that's a troubling indicator for chronic health problems if not treated," Wright says.
In Talleyville, Grayson recently surveyed her two fellow counselors at Good Fruit, and they also reported a significant increase in people complaining about stress, specifically because of the political climate and how it's affecting them.
Grayson suggests meditation, journaling, yoga, walks and avoiding the computer and cellphones as good ways to combat stress. Even the act of picking up a phone and talking to a friend instead of texting them can help, she adds.
"Everybody is glued to the TV or their phone and computer as they check all the social media outlets, so the socialization aspect of their lives has declined significantly, which causes a lot of stress because we need interaction," Grayson says.
Dave Williams, 54, of Brick, puts it another way: "The best antidote for feeling like you can't do anything, is to do something."
But because it is so easy to vent on social media, it is a tactic that many find hard to resist.
Vann, a 2017 Delaware Division of the Arts fellow, turns to his paintbrush as an outlet. His work usually radiates inspiration, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. mural he created that is currently on display at the Delaware Art Museum.
But after hearing racist comments attributed to Trump, Vann posted a picture of his painting of Trump on Facebook, along with this message: "If you support this man, honestly, it is what it is at this point. Just keep your opinion to yourself, and we'll agree to disagree because there is no defending this joke. I'm disgusted. I'm over it."
At the Awareness Center on Main Street in Newark, Delaware, which offers yoga and meditation for 300 people a month, studio director Rebecca Northrop says some of those in search of stress-busting yoga have actually brought their cell phones into the studio, placing them next to their mat.
"Sometimes I will nicely take their phone away from them," Northrop says. "Especially newer folks, they can't let go of their phone."
Neil Meisel, who co-founded the studio in 2001, points to technology as a major cauase of stress.
"A lot of this technology is quite beneficial, but people are getting so hooked by it," he says. "When you have this powerful technology, you need wisdom. And in order to have wisdom, you need to pay attention inside. People are really externally driven these days. We need a balance."
A few miles east in Fair Hill, Maryland, Jeff Kase, a building automation system programmer, is recovering from a stressful training program in Virginia, which concluded with a nerve-racking nine-hour certification exam.
Using his Garmin activity tracker, which measures heart rates and offers a stress rating, Kase saw his usual workday score of 28-32 jump to 55, breaking his all-time high of 44.
But that grinding sensation of stress was not new. In addition to coping with life's usual up's and down's, Kase has also been among those grappling with what's happening politically across the country.
Three days after Election Day in November 2016, the 52-year-old ultra-marathoner completed a non-stop 100-mile race in 28 hours and 44 minutes. And even before he took his first step, he was feeling stress, due to the outcome of the vote.
"I was sufficiently upset over that election that I was emotionally drained going into the race. It made for a very tedious experience," says Kase, whose concern over the affairs of state have only escalated in the months since. "It all just still boggles my mind."
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A president elected by a minority of the American people , and with below 40% in approval for over a year, should be trying to be conciliatory. Instead we have a total asshole in office. It is no wonder that a lot of people are on edge.
The country was pretty evenly divided during the election. Hillary getting more popular votes was likely the result of double voting, the dearly departed vote, and of course the illegal vote, which the left insists didn't happen.
What kept up the uproar ever since has be the never ending constant barrage of negative stories and attacks by the leftist press and liberal posters on forums like this one. I'm sure the left will the message after the coming midterms, but I am doubting it.
No value [ph]
Translation:
There are far, far too many people who rely on a biased media to tell them what's going on. Whatever their political bias is, they seek out the channel that will tell them what they want to hear, and it is always bad news, with a good helping of blame for the other side. Reliance on this style of media is tantamount to ignorance.
I'm surprised the numbers aren't higher.
I don’t need a media filter. After watching ten minutes of Bernie, Nancy or Reid I come away concerned.
59 percent said they consider the current time to be the lowest point in U.S. history that they can remember.
I don't think they feel that way just because Nancy Pelosi is still in office or because Hillary Clinton is not in prison.
The daily instability of the President of the United States is what has people on edge.
JR,
I'm so very sorry that you interpreted my post to read as criticism of one side of the aisle. If you go back and read it, I clearly avoided partisan rhetoric, so as to include ALL forms of media bias.
No media is perfect, including the nation's leading newspapers, any of them are capable of mistakes. Mainstream media is largely corporately owned and their "slant" is toward the establishment.
Trump tweets his opinions and "thoughts" out on a daily basis. His unfiltered ideas are disturbing enough without waiting for them to be filtered through the media.
Why should they be filtered at all? They work, don't they, as Harry Reid loved to stay.
The sooner we can refrain from blaming a single source - even if it is the President - the sooner we can begin to recognize that we are all responsible; we are all complicit in this.
"All", meaning everyone, without exception. If you choose to blame one party more than others, you delay the first day of possible rapproachement.
It has to stop very soon.
I do believe that you are correct .. biased media and social media sites. I was taken back by the number of individuals that get their news from sites like twitter and Facebook.
The article goes on to break things down by age etc... I do not have a great deal of confidence in surveys, but they can be interesting.
It seems that the younger the person the more likely that they rely on a smart phone or tablet.
Most seem to get information from the headlines on Yahoo news, or a truncated version of a story.
Good points...
I have 2 sons 26 and 17, when they are sharing articles that they have read with me - I find myself asking them to send me the link so that I can read the information that is missing from the shortened version.
"It all just still boggles my mind."
I, and just about every person I know, say this on a daily basis.
Sure, who wouldn't be optimistic about the future when tomorrow's leaders react to a speaker they don't like by suggesting they barricade the doors and burn everyone inside.