Friday, February 29, 2008

Austin Business Journal - by G. Scott Thomas Contributing writer

We live in stressful times. Consider the evidence:

• Forty percent of Americans say they are frequently subjected to stress, and another 36 percent sometimes feel that way, according to a January survey by the Gallup Poll.
• Nearly half of U.S. adults believe the stress in their lives has escalated during the past five years, as reported in an October study by the American Psychological Association.
• Three of every 10 Americans say they experience persistent stress or have panic attacks, as documented in a November survey by the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.

These numbers reflect the dimensions of a “national pressure cooker,” to use the American Psychological Association’s term, and it’s causing untold damage to physical and emotional well-being and relationships. Several factors contribute to the daily pressure felt by millions of Americans, ranging from finances and unemployment to traffic, crime and pollution. The intensity of this toxic mixture varies from market to market across the country, as does the level of stress.

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