By the Numbers: National Stress Awareness Month

April is a month to recognize the stress in our lives, and we should begin by acknowledging the two types of stress – good (eustress) and bad (distress).

Chronic bad stress can cause both physical and mental harm, and it affects people in different ways, with everything from digestive problems to headaches, sleeplessness, irritability, lack of energy and depression. Those suffering from chronic stress get more frequent and severe viral infections, and vaccines are less effective for them. To learn about techniques for coping with stress, visit the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) website at nccih.nih.gov/health/stress.

1

The top source of stress is job pressure, followed by money, health and relationships.

6

Wisconsin’s national ranking as the least-stressed state, according to personal finance website Wallethub.com. It looked at things such as the divorce rate (Wisconsin ranked 43rd), crime rate (39th per capita) and psychologists per capita (33rd). For the full report, visit wallethub.com/edu/most-stressed-states/32218.

25

The percentage of Americans who claim to have taken a “mental health day” from work.

33

The percentage of U.S. children aged 8 to 17 who say they are stressed about family finances. Homework and teasing are two other major sources of childhood stress.

62

The percentage of Americans who claim to be stressed about work, according to the American Psychological Association.

63

The percentage of Americans in 2017 who claimed to be stressed about the future of the nation.

75

The percentage of spoken curse words uttered as a result of stress. Swearing typically accounts for 80 of the 15,000 words we typically speak per day.

77

Percentage of Americans who regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress.

$14 billion

The amount Americans spend annually on stress balls, relaxation tapes and other anti-stress items.

$22.8 billion

The amount spent annually in the U.S. on stress-related health care.

$300 billion

Annual costs to employers in stress-related health care and missed work.

Sources:  National Institute of Mental Health, The American Institute of Stress, American Psychological Association, wallethub.com