Byline: Ethan M. Stone
As of 2025, stress feels borderline omnipresent. For many people, stress looks different than it did even a decade ago, prompting healthcare and wellness professionals to examine the factors contributing to modern stress and the ways people respond to it. The list presented here highlights some of those responses, the factors behind them, and the experts who regularly observe how stress affects their clients.
1. Digital Culture and Information Overload
Part of what makes today’s stress feel unique from traditional stress is the continual expansion of digital culture into everyday life. Through smartphones and social media, people are expected to be constantly accessible, making it difficult to escape the anxiety that comes with unrelenting expectations.
Although these expectations stem from virtual sources, the physiological discomfort they can cause is all too real. Digital psychiatrist Dr. Michael Chicak explains that “We often think of stress as an emotional reaction, but it’s actually a physiological one. The term stress refers to a physical response, called the stress response, that happens in our bodies when we’re faced with threats or danger.”
One’s conscious mind may recognize something as safe, but the body may not follow suit.
There is also the mounting pressure of information overload to consider, a phenomenon that has become increasingly prevalent as news sources share more information than ever, with much of it being less than positive.
These factors can make people feel constantly overwhelmed, resulting in a sense of dread that tends to accompany mental health issues like anxiety.
2. High-Functioning Stress and Work Culture
Although putting in hard work has long been celebrated as a show of good character, today’s work culture has taken that perspective to an extreme. Social conditioning has led many people to believe that time spent resting is time wasted, as it does not contribute to making money or expanding one’s business.
“Ultimately, with prolonged exposure to these feelings, exhaustion comes into play. You begin to feel like the end of the rope is coming, and there is no way to stop it,” explains medical director Dr. Lori Bohn.
Whether people are willing to admit it or not, this mindset of constant productivity is not a realistic one and often results in high-functioning stress, so-called because it is stress that people can functionally, although not healthily, work through.
Given enough time, however, this stress can contribute to unacknowledged anxiety and even substance use disorder (SUD) in cases where people turn to illicit substances to distract themselves temporarily. Melissa Legere, LMFT, notes that people suffering from SUD may exhibit behavioral changes like sudden secrecy or withdrawal and “financial issues [which] may indicate spending money on substances.”
3. Comparison Culture and Unrealistic Expectations
In light of today’s increasing interconnectivity, a growing comparison culture has emerged, where the idea prevails that because self-worth is tied to one’s social identity, people feel compelled to compare themselves to others to validate their own superiority or worth. Unsurprisingly, these persisting thoughts can lead to unrealistic expectations, especially in the wake of celebrity culture.
Relationships, especially romantic ones, often suffer from comparison culture when partners compare their partner to someone else, which can result in feelings of inadequacy.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Renee Solomon notes, “This is the number one time that relationships end.”
Realistic Methods of Mitigating Stress
Given the sheer number of stressors that can be overwhelming at any point in time, it can be challenging to see how things could improve. In truth, larger societal patterns, such as social expectations and digital culture, are unlikely to go out of style anytime soon, but that does not mean they are inescapable.
A complete digital detox is unrealistic for most people, but taking some time every day to step away from social media or the news and enjoy hobbies, exercise, or even take a brief walk outside can go a long way in reducing the weight of expectation.
Eric Chaghouri, a psychiatrist, shares how “spending time in nature, also known as ‘forest bathing’ or ‘ecotherapy,’ can significantly reduce stress and anxiety.”
Some stressors stem from unhealthy mindsets that, while easier said than done, can be addressed with enough time and effort. For instance, recognizing that constant comparison is neither realistic nor beneficial can help one become more comfortable and, therefore, happier with oneself.
The same can be said for today’s pervasive work culture; work is important, yes, but one should remember to work to live rather than live to work when possible.
Stress is, unfortunately, unavoidable. More often than not, however, it can be made manageable. In the rare instances where professional intervention is necessary, do not be afraid to make use of the resources available to you.
DISCLAIMER: No part of the article was written by The Signal editorial staff.
