Stress Can Make Young People Look and Feel Older

Did you know that stress can cause grey hair? Yes, and I wrote an article on it long ago. Stress doesn't only make adults look older, but it can also make them FEEL older than they actually are. And new research shows it doesn't end with them. Young people look and feel older when they're stressed.

Before now, researchers have always focused on older adults when analyzing how stress affects their looks. But it's just about the right time to evaluate what it does to young people because stress among youths is at an all-time high. The presence of social media coupled with novel social pressures in school and among young people may contribute to it. People in their teens, 20s, and 30s are experiencing more stress now than their agemates did generations ago.

The research looked at how much stress people aged 18-36 were experiencing, how much control they felt they had over their lives, and how older they looked and felt.

The findings show that young people looked and felt older, especially on days when they experienced higher levels of stress and felt they had less control over their lives.

More on the research here.

While it may sound bizarre, we know that chronic stress can have adverse health effects, including anxiety, insomnia, and heart disease. None of this sounds good. And with the unprecedented levels of stress young people are facing these days, the effects may be worse if they have to live through decades of it from a young age.

While we may not yet know the exact long-term implications, this is a reminder to prioritize self-care and stress management. Agreed, life is fast-paced now more than ever. But your health matters above all else.

If you're battling stress and you feel like you're losing control of your life, we can help at Hope Mental Health.

Come, let’s talk.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.  Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.