LIFESTYLE
EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
is vital to a Healthy lifestyle story by Susan K. Carter, Pee Dee Mental Health Center Are you satisfied with your personal and work life? Many of us report at least some dissatisfaction with one or more aspects of our lives at any given time. Loneliness and job stress are two common culprits keeping many people from feeling fulfilled and optimistic. One new report suggests that 36% of all Americans experience “serious loneliness” (Loneliness in America: How the Pandemic Has Deepened an Epidemic of Loneliness and What We Can Do About It). This statistic includes 61% of young adults and 51% of mothers with young children and is based on an online survey of approximately 950 Americans in October 2020. Arguably more common than loneliness, job stress has increased in recent decades as more people perceive little control over the increased demands placed on them in the workplace. For example, 46% of respondents to a recent survey cited “workload” as their primary workplace stressor. These demands have been demonstrated to be associated with increased rates of heart attack, hypertension, and other disorders (The American Institute of Stress). 24
VIPMagSC.com
January 2022
