Britons were urged today to take more effective measures to combat stress as a new survey was published showing stress levels are on the rise.
Half of people in the UK feel more stressed now compared to five years ago according to findings from internet research conducted in December into 2,000 people aged from 16 years old.
The top cause of stress is money, followed by work, family worries, health and relationships, the report Stressed Out, commissioned by The Samaritans charity has shown.
The findings coincide with Stress Down Day, an awareness and fundraising event organised by The Samaritans aimed at highlighting the effects of stress in the workplace.
The biggest emotional impact of stress was feeling depressed or down for a period of time - listed by 61% - but 12% said they had felt suicidal as a result of stress, compared to 6% in 2003.
The majority said stress made them feel more irritable than usual - 68% - with 56% saying stress disturbed their sleep pattern.
A total of 18% said their sex life suffered because of stress and 5% said it led them to take a sick day off work.
A breakdown of the research showed the 35 to 44-year-old age group are most likely to feel stressed more than once a week - at 62% - as are those living in London - 51% - and the South East at 53%.
Those not in formal employment are among the most stressed, the survey found, including seven in 10 homemakers - 71%; 59% of students; and 59% of the unemployed feeling stressed more than once a week.
A higher proportion of those working in education - 61% - and retail - 57% - are likely to be stressed more than once a week in comparison to other occupations.
Women are also more likely to be stressed more than once a month at 55% in comparison to men at 40%.
The over 65s and those doing more manual occupations such as manufacturing, engineering and construction reported they were less stressed, felt fewer negative consequences and were more able to cope with stress.
The research also found a North South divide in the experience of stress in the UK.
People in the North East consistently reported to be least affected by stress while Londoners and the South East became more stressed on average.
The exception was Northern Ireland which appears to have the biggest problems with stress.
The research found people were choosing to watch TV or listen to music with 38% of people listing these pastimes as a favourite way of relieving stress.
One in three said that having a drink of wine, beer or spirits helped, while many people chose to ignore their stress, with 29% saying when stressed they do nothing and just get on with it, compared to 15% in 2003.
The celebrity rated most highly for dealing with stress is the Queen, by more than eight in ten of the public at 81%. In second place was Alan Sugar at 66%, followed by Tony Blair at 63%.
Director of Samaritans service support Joe Ferns said: "The results of Samaritans' Stressed Out survey are worrying - not only because we're getting more stressed but because it seems we're getting worse at dealing with that stress.
"There can be little doubt that for many people life is more hectic and complicated than it would have been 54 years ago when Samaritans was first set up but we still need to find a way of looking after our emotional health better.
"Feeling stressed can be a vicious circle.
"Sometimes, the more people feel stressed, the more they do things which put them under greater pressure.
"It can be hard to find the energy to take a step back, think clearly about what's happening, and then consider what you can do about it."
Professor Cary Cooper of Lancaster University, and an expert in the field of workplace stress, said: "The Stressed Out survey clearly shows that too many people are turning to the most inappropriate ways to deal with whatever is stressing them - and that's if they're making any attempt to deal with it at all.
"The survey shows that almost twice as many as three years ago are just ignoring the fact that they're getting stressed - and many more than before are dealing with it in the worst way possible, by turning to drink or switching themselves off, in front of a TV.
"It's alarming that only 22% of people said they'd go to a friend or a relative for a chat, while as many as 15% said they'd stick themselves away in their room alone and even more (19%) said they'd go off for a walk or a drive.
"People need to talk about the stress and anxieties they have, not hide them away.
"Facing your problems with support is the best first step."
:: www.stressdownday.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
