How does the psychological pressure of a fast-paced lifestyle affect us?

These are the psychological aspects that cause us stress due to the fast-paced lifestyle.

The fast-paced, ever-changing lifestyle in which we live today can have a very negative impact on the mental health and emotional balance of millions of people around the world.

Moreover, some of these disturbances are so prevalent that they are even normalized as something to be resigned to, so that they are not considered a real problem to be addressed. It is understood that this is the price to pay for living in the Western societies of the 21st century, although this is a fallacious reasoning.

In this article we will see what are habits and social dynamics typical of today's lifestyle that expose us to excess stress and anxiety..

What are the main psychological stressors of a fast-paced lifestyle?

In Western societies a very accelerated pace of life has become normalized; this set of habits, routines and cultural phenomena of information transmission includes several psychological elements that contribute to generate states of anxiety and stress. The most important of these are discussed below.

1. Reconciliation problems

One of the phenomena that generate the greatest psychological discomfort in contemporary societies is the difficulty in reconciling work and family life. the difficulty of reconciling work with personal and family life..

The ever-increasing demands and accelerated rhythms of a constantly evolving labor market prevent many people from maintaining a full and satisfactory family life with their partners and children.

This fact generates frustration in many workers unable to find time outside of work to spend with their loved ones, which in turn This in turn results in anxiety, stress and even predisposition to suffer from depression or burnout syndrome..

2. The need to compete and train constantly

Another source of anxiety and psychological pressure very present in the world of work is the increasing competition among employees of the same company or work sector as well as with other companies and workers from other parts of the world. companies and workers from other parts of the world who work through the Internet and may be potential competitors..

Likewise, this growing competition forces the employees of any company to be constantly updating their knowledge and learning new tools and techniques useful for their job. This competitive dynamic means that the constant training of workers is no longer seen as a way to learn about what we like, but as a way to add value in the labor market.

3. Difficulty in making new friends

As noted, in today's job market, we have less and less free time to devote to we have less and less free time to dedicate to group leisure, recreation or any other activity.We have less and less free time to dedicate to group leisure, recreation or any personal activity that allows us to disconnect from our work obligations.

There are many activities that are no longer available because of a long or exhausting working day, and this also includes social life and the possibility of meeting new people in any public place.

In the final stage of youth, the increasing difficulty in meeting people of the same age and establishing new relationships or friendships is another of the elements that can psychologically affect any person, given that the social fabric based on informal ties (through the extended family, neighborhood communities and friends) that were once common in neighborhoods and towns are increasingly weaker and distributed in small and disconnected nuclei.

4. Unstable labor market

Another of the characteristics of this time of few certainties both at personal and professional level that we have had to live is an essentially unstable labor market, among other things due to the rapid evolution of the world of technologies and work methodologies..

Unlike in past decades, when it was assumed that a job could last a lifetime, it is now clear to most employees in the West that continuity in the workplace is far from assured.

5. Difficulty disconnecting from work

Fast-paced lifestyles are also characterized by an increasingly blurred differentiation between work and personal life.This prevents many employees from disconnecting 100% during their leisure time or on weekends.

Some elements that have contributed to this overlap between work and personal life are telecommuting, permanent access to the Internet, email and any other means of communication with work.

In addition, the importance of developing the personal brand or "branding" also contributes, at times, to generate a notable psychological pressure on many employees.

6. Constant distractions during leisure time

The existence of social networks or applications that keep us busy for a long time and even cause us to lose track of time also generates, in the long run, a great psychological discomfort.

The habitual use of this type of pastimes can generate a great emptiness in the person and a feeling of having wasted a lot of time with games or social networks, time that could have been destined for another better activity.

7. Overcrowding in cities

The overcrowded living conditions in some cities also pose a real psychological problem for many people: in almost all countries there is a tendency to abandon the rural environment and concentrate in large cities..

In addition, the lack of green and quiet spaces for relaxation, noise and increasing pollution are also stressors that in severe cases can lead to anxiety, stress or other mental health disorders.

8. Psychological impact of fear of contagion

The social and health crisis caused by the COVID pandemic that started at the end of 2019 has meant a real change for the lives of millions of people, and has ostensibly accelerated all those stressful elements that we have seen in the previous lines.

The appearance of this virus has brought with it a greater number of stressful situations and elements of extra psychological pressure, which, if necessary, should be treated by a mental health specialist.

But beyond the coronavirus crisis, we should not lose sight of the fact that in an increasingly globalized society the risk of large-scale pandemics has greatly increased, and these are emerging with relative frequency, reinforcing the appearance of psychological disorders associated with anxiety and obsession with risk avoidance.

Do you want to have professional psychological assistance?

If you are interested in psychological assistance and training in anxiety and stress management, please contact me.

I am a psychologist and certified Mindfuless instructor with many years of experience in stress and anxiety related intervention. I offer training programs such as the MBSR Mindfulness Course in 8 weeks, totally online and with theoretical and practical content to learn how to deal with the complicated situations of everyday life.