America’s Mental Health and Stress Issues Get New Attention from National Geographic

This May, National Geographic gave a nod to Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States – with a new campaign unveiling a series of mental health check-ins in the form of articles, videos, photographs and much more.

The material includes downloadable phone backgrounds, ASMR nature YouTube videos, calming Spotify playlists, and a “How stressed are you?” » questionnaire first developed by psychologists in 1983.

The organization has also published a series of think pieces on a culture of urgency in America that apparently leads to burnout; the efficiency and effectiveness of meditation; and multiple ways of experiencing stress.

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“In our always-connected world, people are more stressed than ever, and science clearly shows that chronic stress negatively impacts our health,” National Geographic editor-in-chief Nathan Lump said in a press release. .

“We aim to help people better understand the effects of stress and encourage them to slow down and take time to prioritize their mental health,” Lump also said.

He added that he hoped “these resources will encourage and facilitate this behavior.”

NatGeo’s initiative grew out of extensive study of how scientists have been trying to address stress for generations due to signs that stress can have detrimental consequences on life, ranging from heart disease to a systemic weakened immune system.

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In an interview with Fox News Digital, NatGeo contributor Yudhijit Bhattacharjee shared details about his research, noting that “stress is all around us.”

“Stress permeates our lives,” he said. “Stress has serious consequences on our health, our well-being, even on the functioning of our brain, on the functioning of our immune system, etc.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic, Bhattacharjee, who lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, said it has become “clear” that social isolation is a “big contributor to stress.”

“When we are very stressed, we are more susceptible to viruses and germs.”

“Over the last 10 to 15 years, more and more research has been done on exactly how stress affects us,” he said. “We didn’t know, for example, as clearly as we do today that stress often wreaks havoc on our immune system.”

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“When we are very stressed, we are more susceptible to viruses and germs…and in this post-COVID world, that is certainly very relevant.”

Bhattacharjee’s research also examined how stress can affect adolescents and children.

Aniko Korosi, a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, told NatGeo: “Chronic stress early in life has more serious and long-lasting effects, because that’s when many connections are formed. established in the brain.”

Experts have discovered, Bhattacharjee says, that high stress can hinder a child’s brain development.

“Little attention has been paid to the impact of stress on babies,” he said. “The stress that parents feel when they’re trying to make a living, trying to keep a roof over their head — all of that stress ends up somehow passing on to their children.”

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“And while adults can probably cope with stress and their brains are already fully formed, it’s children who will end up paying a price that will last a lifetime.”

Bhattacharjee said NatGeo’s campaign “draws attention” to the effects of stress on our bodies and our children, and encourages people to “try their favorite methods to de-stress.”

Meditation – a well-known method of relaxing – has been adopted more openly by the public and is even being introduced to children in schools, NatGeo reported.

Bhattacharjee surmised that programs like these could make a “great contribution” to society by changing “the way humanity responds to daily stress.”

“Scientists are learning exactly how meditation ultimately helps reduce stress and thus helps control some of the harmful effects of stress,” he said.

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Bhattacharjee considered other activities “meditative” in their ability to control stress, such as playing sports, singing karaoke, spending time with a pet, or going for a walk.

“Meditation is sort of a catch-all word for a number of contemplative practices and many of them focus on paying attention to one’s breathing and thoughts,” he said.

The NatGeo contributor said many people today live in a “frantic social media environment” while being surrounded by issues ranging from environmental to political – making it an opportune time to pay attention to our level stress and learn to calm it down.

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“This constant search for stimulation, this dependence on stimulation, contributes to stress,” he said.

“(Scrolling) probably doesn’t help…even if you think it will entertain you. Maybe it just adds to our stress load.”

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He added: “I think we need to spend time just with ourselves while being bored in order to increase our well-being.”

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