Self-Care & Chronic Stress: An American Paradox

It may not surprise you to learn that Americans are more stressed than ever, and their spiritual health is taxed.

According to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) “Stress in America” reports, stress levels in the U.S. are only rising. Most can agree that’s not a desirable trend. The 2025 World Happiness Report identified that the U.S. has fallen to its lowest ranking since the report’s inception, placing 24th out of 147 countries. This includes a #30 rank in positive emotions and #51 in negative emotions.

The decline is due to factors such as greater social isolation – more individuals are dining alone, for example – and a higher incidence of “deaths of despair” from suicide, alcohol abuse and drug overdoses.

Conversely, while U.S. stress remains high, mental health awareness is improving. Proper treatment for emotional health is a meaningful support tool for those of us who want to live well.

At the same time, we need to remember that treatment alone isn’t a cure-all. Inner balance and calm also draw from mindful self-care amid our daily pressures.

Sources of Unyielding Stress

A heavy, tightening thread in the fabric of American living, stress can visit us from any of many directions during a day in Naperville.

Work

Many Americans work longer hours compared with other developed nations. The average U.S. workweek is typically 40–50 hours. Plus, many U.S. jobs provide modest to little paid time for vacations and personal days.

By comparison, the average workweek in the U.K. is 36–38 hours with a legal maximum of 48 hours unless an employee opts out of the restriction. The U.K. further legally mandates 28 days of annual paid leave, including public holidays. The U.S., on the other hand, has no federal requirement for paid vacation. U.S. workers put in more unpaid overtime than their British counterparts as well.

In addition, a shift from long-term career employment to a more gig-based economy has created less job security and financial stability for many in the U.S. We might also feel the driving need to always be “on,” especially with the access and convenience made possible by technology and remote features such as virtual meetings.

Within the results-based American culture of “hustle,” we value hard-driving focus, effort and productivity toward greater success and financial gain. If we push ourselves to do and earn more, we will plant the flag of our individual brand: another defining American trait. This relentless will and the competitive spirit it breeds can often lead to burnout. Taking time to seek quiet or rest might make us feel guilty and unproductive.

Economic pressure

The current costs of living leave many Americans stretched for the basics they need. For example, between 2014 and 2023, U.S. health spending rose 63% while the average premium for employer-sponsored family health coverage increased 59% ($15,849 to $25,167). Many can barely afford to maintain their physical health.

While the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 mandated insurers to provide mental health benefits, access to care remains a challenge in the U.S. A 2023 report revealed that in 2021 around two-thirds of Americans with a diagnosed mental health condition could not access treatment even though they had health insurance. ​

In addition, the average cost of a new home in the U.S. rose 90% ($269,800 to $512,200) between 2014 and 2024. Beyond a big mortgage, a lot of Americans face other large debt such as student loans (2024 avg. $$38,375) and credit cards (2024 avg. unpaid balance $7,236).

The economic toll further impacts relationships and family structures. In 2023, 60% of married-couple families included two working spouses. This leaves more of us without properly charged mental and emotional batteries, which in the worst cases can lead to domestic conflict and divorce.

In 2023 the average American household also was spending a total of $77,280 on monthly expenses. The average annual household income after taxes was $87,869, allocating roughly 88% of income earned to living costs.

The numbers climb in Naperville, where the cost of living is about 35% higher than the national average and housing expenses are 124% above the American mean.

Technology and social media

As of 2024, 90% of Americans owned a smartphone and 70.1% were active social media users, with 87% using it daily. This has led to digital fatigue with symptomatic decreases in civility, impulse control and personal boundaries.

Global, social and political turmoil

We are now exposed to a 24-hours news cycle driven by polarizing positions and outrage. When we add issues such as climate change and regional wars, our wider sense of stress remains on high alert.

Self-Care & Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Our culture may continue to urge tireless work, achievement and information overload, but those of us who want to live well should pause to consider how we tend to ourselves. We can all benefit from greater awareness of self-care ideas.

Self-care concerns the actions we take to support our mental well-being, particularly when we’re dealing with conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression. Self-care routines involve the different dimensions of our humanity.

Self-Care Activities: Emotional

• Practicing self-compassion and self-acceptance
• Identifying and expressing emotions in a healthy way, such as journaling, therapy or talking with a trusted friend
• Releasing the need to be perfect

Self-Care Activities: Physical

• Consistently prioritizing good sleep
• Eating a balanced diet and skipping empty-calorie snacks
• Exercising regularly
• Practicing yoga
• Avoiding substance abuse or excessive caffeine/alcohol intake

Self-Care Activities: Cognitive

• Challenging negative thoughts and cognitive distortions
• Constructively stimulating the mind (reading, puzzles, learning a language or instrument)
• Spending less time with TV and social media
• Practicing mindfulness or meditation

Self-Care Activities: Social

• Maintaining healthy relationships with positive people
• Setting boundaries with toxic people or overwhelming situations
• Participating in therapy or support groups if needed
• Avoiding overscheduling and overcommitment

Self-Care Activities: Mental/Medical

• Taking prescribed medications as directed by a psychiatrist
• Monitoring mental-health symptoms and noticing early warning signs of a relapse or worsening condition
• Recognizing healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms (e.g. exercise vs. gambling)
• Self-Care Activities: Spiritual
• Engaging in practices that bring meaning or purpose (prayer, volunteering)
• Connecting with a supportive faith or spiritual community

Self-Care Activities: Creative/Recreational

• Engaging in hobbies and creative outlets (art, music, writing)
• Taking breaks and allowing time for rest and fun

At Eunoia Counseling, we also often include Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as an integral component of constructive self-care. Through DBT, our clients gain the insight and skills to manage their emotions and support their wish to live well.

The word “dialectical” itself applies to the combining of opposite ideas for achieving knowledge, reason and understanding. The dialectic component of DBT aims at offsetting forces in conflict and exploring the truth behind negative emotions.

In doing so, it creates a growing awareness for the need to change within a context of conscious acceptance. It recognizes that feelings are a steady but often unpredictable stream, and we do not need to be consumed or directed by them.

Through DBT, individuals can develop healthy, positive coping strategies through the four main pillars.

Mindfulness. By living in the moment instead focusing on the past or the future, we can gain greater command of our shifting inner weather and our ability to interpret it without judgment. Through mindfulness, we can slow down and calm ourselves in the midst of emotional pain and, in doing so, reduce its sway over us.

Distress tolerance. By being prepared for strong emotions, we can manage them from a clearer, more positive long-term stance. Techniques might include locating proper distractions and soothing ourselves, such as through breathing methods.

Emotional regulation. When we can identify, name and characterize our emotions, we can better change and control them. The result is often greater peace and inner light with less vulnerability and reactiveness.

Interpersonal effectiveness. Maintaining healthy relationships with others calls upon us to be properly assertive in them, such as setting personal boundaries and knowing how to express what we want and when to say “no.” DBT reinforces the listening and communicating for interpersonal effectiveness with respect for others and ourselves.

At Eunoia Counseling, we’ve seen how DBT can impact many different people regardless of their age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation and race/ethnicity.

DBT therapy is often highly effective in treating conditions such as chronic stress. Those who invest themselves often achieve life-altering outcomes such as:

Greater Self-Care Near Me: Contact Us Today

Your well-being matters. You don’t need to feel anxious and stressed all the time. If life ever seems to be stacking on you, Eunoia Counseling can support you with ways to balance “doing” and “being.” We are here to help you heal, grow and understand in your way at your pace. To learn more about replenishing self-care including DBT for Naperville, contact us today at (630) 340-8747 or info@eunoiacounselingnaperville.com.