If you ask just about anyone over 30 about the millennial generation, they will likely have, at the very least, a small list of daily stressors. One thing the majority of millennials can agree on is that the number one thing millennials stress out about most is finances.

 Many are living at home with their parents, even into their late 20s and early 30s. They often find that the demands of life are greater than any generation prior. Yes, the economy is strengthening, but not everyone finds that “dream position” in terms of employment and financial stability.

Then, there is the fact that we live in a time of immediate gratification. There is little to no waiting period on almost anything. While that can be a great thing, it also means having to deliver results just as quickly which ultimately can be stressful.

Now We’re Stressed Out

According to the American Psychological Association, those who are between the ages of 18 to 35 are more stressed-out than any generation before them. This is why they have become known as “generation stress.”

Unfortunately, there are some legitimate concerns. This generation has to compete in the job market, a market that is no longer limited to those in their specific location.

Now, because of the advancement of technology, the millennial generation finds itself competing with people all across the globe.

Telecommuting enables people to work wherever they live, sometimes making it more difficult for a person to find a job.

This leads to a lot of anxiety, both for men and women, and is driving up the stress levels of the millennial generation.

Millennial Finances 

While this is a major concern, it is only a symptom of the overall issue that is most concerning to the millennial generation – financial concerns. The majority of people graduating from college now have $75,000 or more in student loan debt.

Finding a job is a huge challenge, adding to the stress of having such a large amount of student loan debt. Being in a financial crisis and being unemployed is a recipe for high stress. 

Financial Competition

The Millennials generation experiences increasing competition to do something epic. Your good friend is getting married?

This is a totally a reason to drop $2k in Miami on a bachelorette party right? You’re turning 30? So, of course, you have to rent out the VIP area even if you have to put it on your card and pay it in installments. Wrong! 

Women Are Affected Most By Stress

Sadly, women are more affected by this crisis more than men. It used to be that men were far more stressed than women, but since 2007 the trend has been going the other way.

Women are finding themselves far more stressed psychologically than men are, and this is leading to ill effects for both.

This anxiety can lead to weight gain or loss, decreased physical health, anxiety, depression, and much more. It has even led many women to become unable to carry children because of their stress level.

How To Manage Financial Stress

As always, let’s discuss some solutions. The truth is that the best stress management method is to create a plan to manage that stress.

Creating a plan of what you intend to do with your life is the number one way to decrease stress levels.

Listen, we can go back and forth forever and say is this my golden opportunity? Do I want to stay on this path and receive a degree in this area or take this particular job?

The truth is who knows yet if it is a mistake until you try it out, move up the ladder and see how far you go? 

Many people back out from a career in which they’ve made progress because they are scared. They say ya know what? Let me start on a new path before I finish this one, because maybe it was a mistake. That is a big maybe.

Unless you truly feel with every fiber of your being that you’re meant to go on a new path, stay still!

Slow down and climb the next ladder rung. If you get where you wanted to go in your current path, you’ve established confidence and made some headway, now you can truly say, “Wow I can’t believe I’m established in this field!”, or “Holy crap! this is not for me.”

Set Goals 

A goal can be any objective that you set and push yourself to achieve. Sometimes that goal may be small (like going for a run three days a week) and sometimes it may be larger (like earning a promotion).

Setting attainable goals is also important. Committing to a career path and making progress towards this path, step by step, will help to alleviate stress.

Why not think of a small goal you want to set right now, personal or professional. To make your goal S.M.A.R.T., it needs to conform to the following criteria: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Specific

What exactly do you want to achieve? The more specific your description, the bigger the chance you’ll get exactly that. S.M.A.R.T. Goal setting clarifies the difference between “I want to be a millionaire” and “I want to get paid a salary fitting for my career area.”

Questions you may ask yourself when setting your goals and objectives are:

• What exactly do I want to achieve?
• Where?
• How?
• When?
• With whom?
• What are the conditions and limitations?
• Why exactly do I want to reach this goal
• What are the possible alternative ways of achieving the same?

The goal must clearly state what is to be achieved, by whom, where, and when it is to be achieved. Sometimes it may even state why that goal is important.

For example, rather than saying “I want to lose weight” you could say “I want to lose ten pounds by this summer”.

S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Measurable

Measurable goals mean identifying exactly what it is you will see, hear, and feel when you reach your goal.

Measurable goals mean breaking down goals into measurable elements. You’ll need concrete evidence. For instance, “I want to save $5,000 a year for the next five years.” This can be measured by the dollar amount and  amount of years.

S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Attainable

Is your goal attainable? That means investigating whether the goal is realistic for you. So rather than starting with “I will win a Pulitzer,” Maybe the goal can be “I will write five articles in the next month and try to submit one to an online journal within the next three months.”

S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Relevant

Is reaching your goal relevant to you? Do you want to run a marathon? Or maybe it is more important for you to focus on getting a job that fits within the degree you obtained.

S.M.A.R.T. goal setting: Timely

Time is money! Make a tentative plan of everything you do. Maintain deadlines and keep them realistic and flexible.

It is not only about making decisions, but it is also about sticking to those decisions.

There is something so settling about creating a plan and sticking with it!

The Takeaway

Make smart decisions about what you want to do with your life, and you will quickly find that your stress levels will decrease and become more manageable.

Will there be a divine certainty from up above telling us we are on the right path?

No, but that would be nice.

Trust yourself and trust that you are moving forward. Sometimes, this is better than staying still or starting new, before you’ve given yourself a chance to succeed.

You may not realize it, but the words you use every day could indicate how stressed you are. Everyday, we have certain words we either think of or say out loud that “trigger” us to spiral into a state of anxiety. If I say “I’m really stressed out” or “I’m freaking out” or “I’m feeling restless,“ guess what? I just caused panic mode to set in. There are many ways in which we activate our own stress triggers.

The words we use every day about ourselves, especially in the face of anxiety, are triggering our stress. Words are very powerful. Making a conscious effort to adjust what you say when you’re feeling stressed could decrease your stress. After all, you hold the power to decide how you wish to speak to yourself.

LET’S CONSIDER A SCENARIO.

Sam is meeting someone new for the first time. His sister set him up on a date with her boyfriend’s friend, who is supposedly very kind and sweet. He is meeting her at a restaurant tonight. Sam often feels like he is boring and has difficulty holding a conversation. His sister reassures him that he will be fine and he should just be himself.

He responds by asking, “Are you kidding? Being myself will only bore her and make things awkward. I should try to be someone else entirely.” What did Sam just set himself up for? If his anxiety about this date is at a 4 (1 being low anxiety, 10 being the highest), he’s bound to have set it off to a 6-10. How? Through his choice of words.

See, we can feel anxiety, but choose to fight against it and even try to “fake it until we make it.” I’m suggesting simply by what words we allow ourselves to say out loud or allow ourselves to think, we can actually cause ourselves to feel more or less anxious.

If Sam makes a conscious effort to take a deep breath and say something like, “Okay, don’t talk yourself out of having a good time before you even get there man, you’re going to be fine. It’s just a casual date with another human being. My sister said she was really nice.”

What will likely happen now is that speaking to himself in this manner will cause his anxiety to decrease. This is because he was kind and patient with himself, and this will always help decrease stress. By choosing not to “psyche himself out,” he can avoid triggering his anxiety and stop it from wreaking havoc altogether.

Stress Comes From A Past Life

 Certain stress triggers can be quite challenging because they’ve developed over time as a result of past life events. For example, consider if you grew up with a sibling that was constantly belittling you and putting you down. You may have trouble not letting their past influence creep into your future.

Maybe you were in a long-term relationship with someone who had anxiety themselves, but felt ashamed of this. Stress causes you to respond to obstacles with anger and a short-temper, affecting your stress level. This may cause the thought of entering into a new relationship to trigger your anxiety. You may be afraid of the negative impact letting someone into your life could potentially have on your stress level.

Be Aware Of Your Stress Triggers

When you do experience a stress trigger, try to make a conscious effort to be aware of it. Sometimes negative feelings can overcome you and it may not feel like there is an option to hit the pause button.

However, you are more in control of your emotions than you may give yourself credit for. Explore whether or not your stress is rational and based on any facts. If it is just a “what if ____ happens” fear, then remind yourself it is not reality-based. You can often reduce anxiety by simply stopping the trigger from having a snowball effect.

Understandably, this level of awareness can be difficult to practice, but very useful. 

Use Self-Affirmations

Hang positive affirmations on sticky notes around your home and office that say wonderful things about you, your family, or your goals.

With practice, you can make a conscious effort to consider the words you are using, rephrase them or choose not to use them all together. It is possible to manage your stress if you want it enough.

Choose Kinder Words

Sadly, our negative thoughts cause us more pain than we realize. Make the decision to stress less by being kind to yourself. Who knows?, perhaps the words you choose to say to yourself every day could change your life and how you view the world around you. Once you lift that grey, judgmental cloud, beautiful things can happen.

Most stress is caused by our own experiences and view of the world. Recognizing that we create most of our stress and learning how to avoid our stress triggers is an important step towards coping with them.

Be careful not to trigger your own stress. If you do, no worries. Adjust your words to more encouraging, patient words and give yourself the gift of kindness. Don’t you deserve it as much as anyone else?