Why younger women are facing more daily stress than older generations: poll

Almost three-quarters of women take on the stress of their friends and family, according to new research.From worrying about them to feeling empathy for their struggles and working to provide a solution, a survey of 2,000 women split evenly by generation revealed that 73% shoulder their loved ones’ anxieties.In fact, 72% of those women admit that they feel societal and internal pressure to take on this emotional labor.Only 18% of women are “very open” with friends and family about their own stress levels, and another 52% admit they often fake being “fine” when they aren’t. On top of assuming the stress of others and internalizing their anxieties, the average woman feels stressed five hours per day, or about 21% of her day.The younger generations are feeling even more stressed than the older ones, as both Gen Z and millennials average six hours per day.While 10% of women say that stress starts with their morning routine, 15% admit they feel it the moment they open their eyes in the morning.

For Gen X specifically, that moment lingers and officially strikes around midday (16%).Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Florastor, results also revealed that generationally, Gen Z is most likely to be stressed by work (37%) and/or relationships with men (19%), whereas 21% of millennials are overwhelmed when they need to talk on the phone.Gen X is most stressed when it comes to their physical health (31%), and 30% of baby boomers admit it’s the news that gets them troubled.High stress levels impact other aspects of women’s health, including their quality of sleep (44%), their ability to focus (34%), and have a negative effect on their mental health (34%).Others experience digestive upset (21%) or bloating and constipation (15%).

Of those, 43% envision their gut would send them a “Girl, you need to chill” DM during a stress meltdown.Gut health and stress are like gasoline and fire, as 46% of women say it’s a two-way street, and experiencing digesti...