Stressing as a Nation.

• Author: Borenstein, Lorna
• Position: ON THE COUCH

AMERICANS are more afraid of global terrorism than being killed by a gun (68% vs. 35%). They are more stressed out by the melting ice caps than by their demanding boss (64% vs. 42%), and they are more anxious about bigotry, racism, sexism, and xenophobia than their own marriage (66% vs. 33%).

Holistic wellness service Grokker teamed up with SurveyMonkey to examine what most stresses Americans. Here are the results:

Declining mental health. Some 96% of Americans experienced at least one physical symptom associated with stress since the 2016 presidential election. More than half of all respondents had clear signs of mental strain closely associated with stress, with 53% reporting feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or nervous; 45% felt depressed, a potentially serious mental health concern.

Global issues cause concern. The top three concerns stressing Americans today are global stability, terrorism, and the increasingly polarized political climate. Seventy-three percent of citizens actively are stressed about the fragile stability of global nations and 68% are worried about terrorism and the current political climate.

While the common prescription for combating stress is to manage personal worries--such as relationship, financial, or job stress--the survey reveals that it really is global, geopolitical, and environmental issues keeping Americans up at night. Focusing on your relationship with your girlfriend is not going to stop the polar ice caps from melting.

Pres. Donald Trump, political polarization, and the future of the country. No matter their gender, age, region, or political party, Americans are stressed out by the increasingly polarized political climate. In fact, 73% of Americans say they are worried about the future of the country. Sixty-two percent of respondents say they are "somewhat or very stressed" by Pres. Trump's leadership. The traditionally liberal hotbeds of New England and the West Coast are the most concerned about Trump's leadership, with 51% reporting it makes them "very stressed."

Stressed-out millennials. Millennials report the highest base stress levels of any age group, with 80% feeling stressed and 60% saying their current stress level is impacting their overall happiness negatively. In addition to other global concerns, millennials are pointing to the environment as a top stressor...