The Layered Effect of Stress in 2022

The past two and a half years have been stressful. They have brought significant changes to the way that we interact with others, travel, engage in society, and even the way we work. The past year has brought significant economic changes, societal and climate threats, and many unanswered questions about what’s to come in the future. The environment we live in on a societal level has ebbed and flowed, and while those changes have occurred, we have experienced our own personal challenges, victories, crises, and achievements. Society and personal life have intermingled in a confusing and taxing way, causing us to feel stressed, overwhelmed, and even sad or angry at times, and challenged us to cope differently almost every day.

Layer One of Stress – Society’s Challenges

The first layer of stress to consider is society’s challenges, which we are constantly inundated with by news apps, social media, and even in conversations with friends and colleagues. There’s no mistaking that society has presented us with adverse events that we have no previous experience with and are juggling to cope with. Every new day can seem daunting, and we struggle to process our feelings before the next tragedy strikes.

Layer Two – Personal Challenges

Amongst society challenges, we constantly deal with personal challenges, such as those in our personal relationships, job stress, financial concerns, or health conditions. On top of adverse events in society, we still need to navigate our own concerns, which can feel more difficult when more challenges are present on a widespread level.

Layer Three of Stress – Abilities

The third layer to consider is our abilities. If you have a good set of coping skills established, you may feel less challenged when coping with adverse events, but if you don’t, you may feel disadvantaged in your ability to handle stress at this moment. Whether or not you tend to have good coping skills in place, new circumstances often require a new set of skills, so be aware that you might need to try something different on a semi-regular basis.

How do we handle several layers of adversity?

There’s no easy answer, and unfortunately, no guidebook on how to handle the combination of issues we’ve been presented with as a society, but it’s important to recognize the areas that we do have control over. Here are some tips to stay grounded while coping with our fast-changing world:

• Stay informed, but stay cognizant about your news intake, and how it’s affecting you
• Engage in healthy distractions, like exercise, cooking a healthy meal, or starting a new project
• Reach out to family and friends for support during difficult times
• Seek mental health support if necessary
• Get enough rest, which will allow you substantial energy for coping with challenges
• Be kind to yourself and be aware of your needs
• Recognize that this is a difficult time, with many instances never before seen in our lifetime. Know that you don’t have to be an expert at understanding how to get through this

Author Sam Nolan is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Provisionally Licensed Art Therapist. To learn more about Sam, click here.

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