It’s easy to feel like your 20s are supposed to be the best years of your life. After all, these are the years that most people start their careers, move out from the family home, find new friends and get to experience the first years of adulthood and the freedom that it brings but according to a new study, it’s actually on average the most stressful decade of many people’s lives.
Stress Steadily Declines Into Middle Age
The study was conducted over a period of 20 years among adults who were between 22 and 77 at their initial interview. Then, over the 20 year span, the National Study of Daily Experiences conducted three bursts of eight consecutive nightly interviews of stress and affect.
It was found that over time, adults experienced an 11% reduction in the occurrence of stressor days over time but young adults - participants under the age of 30 - experienced a much steeper reduction of 47% in their levels of stress reactivity.
For people in midlife and old age, stressor occurrence continued to decrease though in adults aged 54 or older at the initial interview, stress reactivity remained stable over time.
What Does All of This Mean?
Of course, throughout your life, you’ll continue to experience stressful events but your 20s is the time for a lot of “firsts” which can add an extra layer of stress because you may feel ill-prepared to deal with the stressful experiences and events that you’re facing.
This study brings comfort, though. As overwhelming as your 20s may be, it seems that for most people, it’s easier to handle stressful events as you get older and in terms of stress levels, the only way is down.
Are You Struggling With Stress in Your 20s?
You’re not alone. 79% of British adults feel stressed at least once a month and stress levels are highest among 18-24 year olds, with close to 90% reporting feeling stressed every month.
Stress is not an illness in itself but it can lead to illness and tackling it as much as you can will reduce your chance of illness and help your mental health. Make sure that you are maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly and managing your time effectively - don’t take on more than you can handle, if possible!
Additionally, the NHS recommends breathing and relaxation exercises to help calm your physical response to stress and help you to feel more relaxed.
If you’re still struggling, speak to your GP about the help available to you or call a helpline such as Breathing Space (0800 83 85 87) to speak to a trained advisor who can help you.