Get a grip on your stress now to avoid problems later

USA Today:

Here’s a good reason to get a grip on the stress in your life. If you handle stress poorly — everything from conflicts at work to disagreements with your spouse to irritations like sitting in traffic jams — it may put you at greater risk for anxiety disorders and other mental health issues 10 years later, a new study shows.

Daily stressors can cause wear and tear on your emotional health, says Susan Charles, professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California-Irvine and lead author of the research. It’s not the number of daily stressors, it’s how you respond to them. If you get really anxious or sad about stress, it may take a toll on your mental health, she says.

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Findings, which appear online in the journal Psychological Science: People who responded to stress with more anxiety and sadness than the average person were much more likely to have self-reported anxiety/mood disorders and psychological distress 10 years later.

Read the whole story: USA Today