Stress: Why So Common Today and How Do We Deal With It?
by Dr. Bartley Kerr, NRC Founder and CEO
Stress! I hate stress in my life and in my patient's lives! Unfortunately, over the last decade, stress levels have sky-rocketed with society, as well as my patient base. If your stress level has increased over the last five to ten years, welcome to the party – you are far from alone!
Years ago, when most of my patients would fill out the stress level part of their intake forms, they'd usually rate a 2, 3, or 4 out of ten—ten being the worst. Now? Almost everybody's circling 9 or 10! Rejuvenation medicine won't magically erase those stressors, but hormonal balance can often dial a 10 down to an 8 by optimizing those key players like cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone that get thrown out of whack under chronic pressure. And when we layer in some targeted exercise to burn off excess adrenaline, and refocus the mind with sound nutrition tailored to you, that 8 out of 10 may drop down to a 7 out of 10, or even lower. With the help of modern techniques to decrease stress and the possible addition of quality nutrition supplements, stress levels may be reduced even further.
Let's dive into why stress levels have skyrocketed over the last 5-10 years, backed by some eye-opening data. According to the American Psychological Association's Stress in America report from 2023, a whopping 65% of Americans cited health-related issues as a top stressor, with money at 63% and the economy at 64%. That has increased significantly from pre-2020 levels, where economic worries hovered around 50-55%. Fast forward to 2024, and 43% of adults reported feeling more anxious than the previous year—a jump from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. Overall, 75% of Americans now experience stress symptoms, with nearly half (49%) facing significant daily stress. Globally, it's even grimmer: A 2024 study in Nature found that over half the population in 20 countries dealt with emotional stress in 2020, with 85% of countries reporting worsened psychological stress compared to pre-pandemic baselines.
The pandemic played a big role in kicking up stress levels, changing our daily routines, kid's routines, with the uncertainty of a new awful mystery virus on the loose. But even post-COVID, finances remain the top culprit: 40% of Americans cite money woes as their biggest stressor, followed by the economy at 32% and housing costs at 20%.
Then there's social media, that sneaky time-thief. A Ballard Brief report notes a 63% increase in anxiety and depression among young adults from 2005 to 2017, largely tied to endless scrolling and comparison traps. For us over-40 folks, the negativity on social media is massive! Even good posts have a multitude of negative comments that pound away at our psyche.
A couple of days ago, I viewed a golfer on social media sinking an amazing 42 foot putt – great shot! Many of the comments, however, were mean, hateful and foul. The cool thing I was looking at was overshadowed by the ugliness of negative people, which can fester in the back of your mind for the rest of the day. That was just a golf shot! When I scrolled down a bit to other posts, I witnessed political polarization and hatred, random acts of violence to innocent people and severe stupidity with painful outcomes. Heck, I just wanted to check out some golf shots from a non-televised event and within fifteen minutes of scrolling I witnessed shocking meanness and negativity! Stress!
Okay, so we can't live in a bubble and we have to deal with the stressors on a daily basis. To cope with it, Rejuvenation Medicine is the first step. Optimized hormones help regulate sleep, mood, and energy—the holy trinity for stress resilience. Studies show that proper thyroid and adrenal support can reduce fatigue by up to 30%, turning "overwhelmed" into "I've got this." Pair that with personalized nutrition with anti-inflammatory foods and exercise routines like resistance training (my personal favorite for over 40 years), and you're building a fortress against stress. Add in some breathing exercises and some of my recommended supplements, and maybe we can keep stress levels low, where we need them to be!
by Dr. Bartley Kerr, NRC Founder and CEO
Stress! I hate stress in my life and in my patient's lives! Unfortunately, over the last decade, stress levels have sky-rocketed with society, as well as my patient base. If your stress level has increased over the last five to ten years, welcome to the party – you are far from alone!
Years ago, when most of my patients would fill out the stress level part of their intake forms, they'd usually rate a 2, 3, or 4 out of ten—ten being the worst. Now? Almost everybody's circling 9 or 10! Rejuvenation medicine won't magically erase those stressors, but hormonal balance can often dial a 10 down to an 8 by optimizing those key players like cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone that get thrown out of whack under chronic pressure. And when we layer in some targeted exercise to burn off excess adrenaline, and refocus the mind with sound nutrition tailored to you, that 8 out of 10 may drop down to a 7 out of 10, or even lower. With the help of modern techniques to decrease stress and the possible addition of quality nutrition supplements, stress levels may be reduced even further.
Let's dive into why stress levels have skyrocketed over the last 5-10 years, backed by some eye-opening data. According to the American Psychological Association's Stress in America report from 2023, a whopping 65% of Americans cited health-related issues as a top stressor, with money at 63% and the economy at 64%. That has increased significantly from pre-2020 levels, where economic worries hovered around 50-55%. Fast forward to 2024, and 43% of adults reported feeling more anxious than the previous year—a jump from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. Overall, 75% of Americans now experience stress symptoms, with nearly half (49%) facing significant daily stress. Globally, it's even grimmer: A 2024 study in Nature found that over half the population in 20 countries dealt with emotional stress in 2020, with 85% of countries reporting worsened psychological stress compared to pre-pandemic baselines.
The pandemic played a big role in kicking up stress levels, changing our daily routines, kid's routines, with the uncertainty of a new awful mystery virus on the loose. But even post-COVID, finances remain the top culprit: 40% of Americans cite money woes as their biggest stressor, followed by the economy at 32% and housing costs at 20%.
Then there's social media, that sneaky time-thief. A Ballard Brief report notes a 63% increase in anxiety and depression among young adults from 2005 to 2017, largely tied to endless scrolling and comparison traps. For us over-40 folks, the negativity on social media is massive! Even good posts have a multitude of negative comments that pound away at our psyche.
A couple of days ago, I viewed a golfer on social media sinking an amazing 42 foot putt – great shot! Many of the comments, however, were mean, hateful and foul. The cool thing I was looking at was overshadowed by the ugliness of negative people, which can fester in the back of your mind for the rest of the day. That was just a golf shot! When I scrolled down a bit to other posts, I witnessed political polarization and hatred, random acts of violence to innocent people and severe stupidity with painful outcomes. Heck, I just wanted to check out some golf shots from a non-televised event and within fifteen minutes of scrolling I witnessed shocking meanness and negativity! Stress!
Okay, so we can't live in a bubble and we have to deal with the stressors on a daily basis. To cope with it, Rejuvenation Medicine is the first step. Optimized hormones help regulate sleep, mood, and energy—the holy trinity for stress resilience. Studies show that proper thyroid and adrenal support can reduce fatigue by up to 30%, turning "overwhelmed" into "I've got this." Pair that with personalized nutrition with anti-inflammatory foods and exercise routines like resistance training (my personal favorite for over 40 years), and you're building a fortress against stress. Add in some breathing exercises and some of my recommended supplements, and maybe we can keep stress levels low, where we need them to be!