T
he word stress is rather hackneyed, with
almost everyone incriminating it to have Which generation is more stres-
subjected them to a state of despon- sed out: Millennial, Gen X, Boo-
dency. Stress is rather difficult to define mers or mature?
due its subjective nature – what one deems
The ambit of the ages that each generation covers
as a stressful event may not be so stressful is as such (Stress by Generation, n.d):
for another. The idiosyncra-
-
Millennial:
18-33
Our
body
produces
greater
sies associated with stress
years old
Gen X: 34-47 years
made the word banal and mi- proportion of chemicals which -
old
sinterpreted. People construe ameliorates our heat rates and
-
Boomers:
48-66
stress with inconsequential
years
old
augments our “muscle
events like traffic jams and
-
Mature: ≥67 years
arguments to more serious preparedness, sweating and old
events like clinical depres-
Pursuant to the study by
alertness”
–
which
are
the American Physiological
sion (What is Stress, n.d). So
what is stress?
consequently needed to protect Association, average stress
levels among all the gene-
rations has elevated, with
An invariably accepted definition
the millennial generation
is that stress “is the body’s reac-
having the greatest levels of
tion to a change that requires a
stress(Stress by Generation,
physical, mental or emotional ad-
justment or response” and is transpired by any “situa- n.d). Nevertheless, stress is still stress at any age.
tion or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, Only the events that foment stress -stressors- have
metamorphosed: from petty school issues to more
nervous, or anxious (Angela Morrow,
exigent matters. In consonance with a survey by
2014).” The Concept of stress is also
the American Psychological Association on
iridescent and multi-faceted: good
teenagers aged 13-18, 83% of the teens res-
stress vs bad stress; internal Vs exter-
ponded that school was their main source
nal stress; correlation between stress
of distress (Shapiro, n.d). Moreover, 60%
and age.
accused the hectic curriculum
ourselves from
onerous/perilous
46 | ZEALOUSNESS MAGAZINE | Winter / Spring 2017