For many Americans, the days before Christmas are stress central.
There’s the scramble to fit in one more shopping spree, the rush to post Christmas greetings, attend church services, volunteer at the soup kitchen, bake cookies, wrap gifts, fight traffic.
And then, when families finally gather, there are the simmering feuds just waiting to erupt.
Americans are feeling stressed during the holidays — and year-round.
The American Psychological Association’s newest “Stress in America” survey of 3,440 adults shows the public’s overall stress level remains the same as last year’s, with an average level of 4.8 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most stress. But how Americans respond to stress is changing.
Notably, fewer Americans are turning to prayer.
Only 29 percent of Americans polled said they pray to relieve stress, a gradual but consistent decline since the high of 37 percent recorded in 2008.
“Do people consider prayer or attending church not necessarily something that manages stress?” asked Lynn Bufka, a psychologist with the APA’s Stress in America team. “We don’t know.”
The two most popular…
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