The Mix calls on young people to speak up on stress this Mental Health Awareness Week

by Françoise Facella

Communications & Events

Monday 14th May 2018

With Mental Health Awareness Week upon us, national youth charity The Mix is calling on young people to speak up on stress.

Recent poll results found that 97% of under-25s feel stressed, with a staggering 45% thinking about their sources of stress multiple times a day.

The poll also found that 75% of young people use one or more of the following to cope with stress and see it as an issue – drink, drugs, sex, shopping, social media, eating and exercise.

The largest source of young people’s stress was not having enough money (60%) followed by stress related to work (42%) and studies (32%). The research, conducted by OnePulse surveyed 1,292 respondents aged between 16-25.

Spokesperson for The Mix, Zoe Bailie, said: “Mental Health Awareness Week offers us an opportunity to once again highlight the impact stress is having on young people.

It’s really worrying that so many young people are turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress. Young people need to feel they can share their worries, not try to silence them. The take-home message from us this Mental Health Awareness Week is for young people not to suffer in silence. It’s time to speak up on stress.”

Commenting on the findings, one young person who has been supported by The Mix said: “Stress is a very real issue across our age group and it is important that young people know they don’t have to cope alone. The Mix has aided me with coping mechanisms to deal with the day-to-day stresses life can bring”.

The research also found that:

• Only 3% of 16-25-year-olds felt they had no stress in their life.
• 81% of respondents think about their stress more than a few times a week with 19% feeling they can’t stop thinking about it.
• 27% of respondents would use drink or drugs as a stress relief mechanism.
• 33% of respondents would talk to someone about their stress.
• When it comes to advice and support on matters of stress and how to cope, online resources like The Mix are critical, with 28% citing this would be a tool they would want to use, alongside friends (58%) and family (44%).

With over half of the young people who responded to the survey saying that they would turn to a friend for help and nearly a third saying they would seek advice from an online service, The Mix plays a crucial role supporting young people through both digital outreach and peer communities.

The charity has seen an increase in young people using its services across the website and counselling, which indicates not only the greater need for support but also that young people are recognising and dealing with negative patterns of behaviour before they become a problem.

The Mix is there for you if you’re struggling with stress, head here to speak to our team.

Ends

Notes to Editors

About the poll:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from One Pulse. Total sample size was 1292 young people. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11-14th September 2017. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults aged 16-25.

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