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So this may feel like a repost, and a bit too soon at that, and you might be right.  But this is too important not to follow-up.

Last week’s Weekend Challenge was to take some time to take care of you.  Because life is hard.

Well, apparently I was a little early in providing the perfect introduction for a study released yesterday that reiterates that we are, in fact, stressed.

Study participants ranked their overall stress level on a scale from one to 10, with 1 being ”little or no stress” and 10 being  ”a great deal of stress.”  While most adults consider a stress level of 3.6 or lower to be manageable, the average stress level of adults in the study sits at 4.9, well above manageable.

Among financial problems and the economy, relationship issues were also a significant contributor (56%) to our current stress levels.  No shock here; we’ve been over this: marriage and parenting are hard.

death by duck

Young adults, ages 18-33, report the highest levels of stress at 5.4.  Recent graduates are having to manage significant college debt and a difficult job market, and many in this age bracket also decide to start a family, navigating all the joys and trials of new parenthood.

This study also identified another pressing issue: most of us don’t feel like we’re handling our stress very well.  We don’t access the physical or mental health services and resources available to address our stress, but we worry about its potential impact over time (as we should).

So, this “repost” is entirely necessary and worth noting.  If you kicked butt with this challenge last weekend, keep it up!  If, on the other hand, taking some time for yourself to de-stress ended up at the bottom of your to-do list (yet again), here’s the perfect opportunity to move it to the top and finally make you (and reducing your stress levels) a priority.  (Review the rules for the Weekend Challenge here.)

Don’t be a statistic.

Really committed to reducing your stress and improving your health in 2013?  Give the Weekend Challenge a boost by addressing personal, relationship, or parenting stress with therapeutic coaching services.