The key facts

  • Millennials show the highest stress level — 60.1–66.5 points on the VCIOM index
  • The share of anxious millennials is 31–32%, with anxiety higher in large cities
  • Stress is linked to urbanization, education, the internet and financial situation

Millennials top the stress ranking

Millennials — people born approximately between 1982 and 2000 — show the highest level of anxiety in Russia. This was told to Gazeta.Ru by Marta Uvarova, a psychologist at the Bud Zdorov clinic in Sochi, citing the VCIOM stress index. According to her, millennials have recorded the highest stress level — 60.1–66.5 points, followed by zoomers born in 1995–2010 (54.0 points), while baby boomers born in 1946–1964 have the lowest score — 42.1 points. Millennials also lead in the share of those experiencing anxiety — 31–32%.

Who experiences stress more often

According to the cited data, stress increases with education level, urbanization and active internet use: it is more often experienced by city dwellers, people with higher or incomplete higher education, and those who spend a lot of time online. Stress is also closely linked to economic instability — the worse one's financial situation, the stronger the internal tension. At the same time, anxiety is higher in large cities than in rural areas. The initial VCIOM survey cited by the psychologist was published in the foundation's analytical review on stress and ways to combat it.

Hidden stress and when to see a specialist

Uvarova noted that many people may experience hidden stress without realizing constant tension caused by work, toxic relationships or finances. In such cases, she advised seeing a therapist and an endocrinologist and getting tested for thyroid hormones, cortisol, ferritin, vitamin D and B12 — if there are health problems, treatment may eliminate the anxiety. Among the psychologist's recommendations are also exercise, restoring sleep, limiting news and social media, and temporarily giving up caffeine and alcohol: according to her, caffeine increases anxiety, while alcohol provides only temporary relaxation but then worsens the condition. If anxiety interferes with living, sleeping and working, lasts for weeks and does not go away with breathing exercises and a routine, that is a reason to see a psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist.