Looking for ways to reduce your stress? Gen Z has different levels of stress compared to other generations. Here’s how zoomers can handle stress.

You might have felt it when you were staring at an exam you didn’t study for, or when you were learning how to drive. Nowadays, you could tune into the news and feel it within five minutes.

In situations like these, it’s normal to feel stressed. Still, mishandling stress could have negative consequences. To help you avoid those, here are tips for generation Z to reduce stress.

Tips for Generation Z to Reduce Their Stress

What causes stress in young adults?

Some adults still believe that the younger you are, the less worries you have. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Even young people encounter things that could stress them out every day, including the following:

Social media
Social networking sites such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook make everyone more susceptible to believe certain stereotypes about attractiveness and success. For the relatively impressionable youth, that creates an unnecessary pressure to live up to all the wrong standards. It’s hard not to compare yourself to perfect, 23-inch-waisted Instagram models when you see them all the time.

Interpersonal relationships
The older people get, the more complex their relationships become. Young people are only just starting to navigate real friendships and explore romantic relationships. Discovering the new dynamics of these relationships could be incredibly stressful.

Academics
School is a big part of any young person’s life, and the pressure to constantly do well could easily lead to a lot of stress. For students nearing high school graduation, stress could also stem from the pressure of their college plans (or lack thereof.)

How many young people are stressed?

The world has been rapidly evolving, and young people have been feeling that change the most. According to the American Psychological Association, the stress levels experienced by most American teens were similar to that of adults; they even surpass them when school’s in session. That was reported six years ago. A more recent report by Deloitte found that almost half of both Gen Zs and Millennials all around the world claim that they are stressed nearly all the time.

Tips for Gen Z to Reduce Stress

Stress is in inevitable part of life, but you’re not completely powerless. Here are four things you can do to combat stress and all its negative consequences.

Investigate the root cause
Different things could signal that you’re under a lot of stress (a change in eating or sleeping habits, mood swings, etc.), but the minute you notice it, it’s best to evaluate what could be causing you so much stress so you could immediately try to do something about it.

Take a break from social media
For all the convenience and entertainment it offers, social media can still be a very toxic and stressful environment. This could be, in part, because of other users themselves, or news updates that elicit strong, negative emotions. So, however challenging it may be distance yourself from social media, try to disengage when necessary. This doesn’t mean that you have to retreat under a rock permanently. Taking a break for just a couple days or even a few hours could be just what you need to reduce stress.

Prioritize your health
It’ll be even more difficult to properly manage your stress if you’re not at your physical and emotional best. Be sure to give yourself a fighting chance by making sure that you’re keeping your eating, sleeping, and exercising habits in check. Don’t forget to look out for your mental health as well.

Find an outlet
Sometimes, no matter what you try to do, you can’t eradicate the root causes of your stress right away. In that case, it’s best to find an outlet that would let you vent out your frustrations or give you that much-needed escape. Outlets differ from person to person, so take the time to find the one that works for you.

Growing up is acknowledging that you can’t always control the things that happen to you. Everyone goes through stressful situations – but that’s completely alright! What’s important is that you know yourself well enough to know how to reduce or at least properly manage your stress, and that you keep on going to fight another day in this crazy world.

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