Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've read various articles in the past few years about how boomers are being found to experience more stress and stress-related illnesses (more long-term chronic disease than for our parents). This strikes me as odd considering that boomers are generally more well-off and much better fed than previous generations, and have many more life options to choose from (compared with their parents and grandparents) at retirement.
"....boomers tend to report more stress than earlier generations -- from their jobs, their commutes, taking care of their parents and their kids -- all of which can take a physical toll, which is compounded by having less support from extended families and communities, experts say."
greatest generation had a lot of stress. but at least they believed in each other and the country.
the stress of distrust and betrayal is much higher for the boomer. a selfish unsupportive and ungrateful family
will do that to you.
Every generation and life has its own share of wars, economic upheavals, personal problems, child-rearing issues, addictions, health issues and other uncertainties. And, even if this generation doesn't seem to have as many of these stress-inducing events as past generations, it seems like people always find (or create) problems to worry about in their life, career, raising kids, health, etc. --
The only people I know of who seem consistently stress-free about the uncertainties of their lives and the future ... are those who trust their lives to the Lord. He says, "Don't worry about tomorrow," "Don't grieve as those who have no hope," "The peace of God will guard you minds and heart," "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called to His purpose," "Don't worry about what you will eat or drink or be of an anxious mind .... these things will be added unto you" --- I could go on and on ... because He is faithful and true and He always keeps His promises!
I don't. I'm a boomer and I think the health issues are mostly self-inflicted, obesity and lack of exercise for example. I do believe boomers are more likely to complain and we've discovered (or invented) all sorts of ailments/syndromes that were previously "unknown." Even the article used some surveys of boomers as evidence, not very scientific.
Too many boomers like to feel sorry for themselves, and again I'm a part of the generation.
In general I think the generations that follow boomers are going to actually have it much tougher over the full course of their lives than boomers, thanks to what boomers have/are leaving behind...
I am trying to figure out who these Boomers are that folks are referring to . . .
For one thing, I know very few Boomers who have actually retired.
People love to lump Boomers in with folks from the preceding generation. THe oldest a Boomer cannot be but 67 years old - and they would have turned 67 this month. Anyone older is NOT a Boomer!
I don't know who these whiners and complainers and sick folks are . . . I don't see them around me. My hubby has health issues but he is not a true Boomer - he missed the deadline by a few months. But even considering him as a Boomer - his health problems are basically congenital and he pushed through an entire career despite the physical problems (most of which were not even properly diagnosed til he was around 60 years of age).
As for other Boomers - the main health concerns I have seen are cardiac and that is true for preceding generations, as well. This is nothing new.
I would say Boomers are concerned about their futures as any generation of folks have been when they reach retirement age, but I have been around very few folks who are retiring, other than teachers, school administrators and blue collar workers (many of whom lost their jobs a decade or so ago when textile and furniture factories started the shut down here in NC, where I live).
I do know some execs who have retired in the last 3 years but none of them are actually Boomers - they are older.
So who are these Boomers everyone seems to think are dragging the rest of society down? My friends all have retirement accounts, many have paid off their homes (and most have paid off their second homes, as well) . . . most have chosen NOT to retire simply b/c they like their jobs. Plus many have their own businesses or are docs, attorneys, CPAs . . . and they have scaled back on their hours, perhaps, but they have no intention of just quitting work.
The main stress I see/hear from my Boomer friends relates to concerns about their elderly parents and their kids. Many Boomers are what folks like to refer to as part of the "sandwich generation," meaning they are looking out for their parents (whether financially or just emotional support or helping with logistics for their parents) plus helping with their adult children (who sometimes have moved back home, or may have lost jobs and have their own families to support). Those issues are stressful . . . and certainly not from self-involvement or self-centeredness as so many people seem to imply about Boomers these days.
Facing retirement coming or the years spent working :I do see boomers perhaps complaining more but certainly not stressed more thna parents where.I do think perhaps our parents having faced first the great depression then WWII afterward saw the rest of life as pretty much a piece of cake ;attitude wise.Its said that tough times tend to make you better able to face challenges in the future and have a better attitude overall.
Do aging Boomers experience more stress than did previous generations?
If you think this is true, what (from your experience and observation) do you think is going on?
(this question is aimed at the stress factor)
Np. I do NOT think it's true...but I do think that boomers are in the habit of talking about their stress,
their stressor's (and every other dam-ned thing) more than any previous generations did.
Didn't we have a thread on this topic just a month or two ago? Oh well, guess I can say the same thing I said last time:
To be honest, I don't take articles like very seriously. Wapo's reporting has declined, but before getting into that I'll answer the question about differences in the generations. I personally think most of us are healthier than our parents, but I also I think it's more likely that there's an attitude difference that made them think they were healthier than we think we are.
My father and my father-in-law had plenty of health challenges, but they were both stoic men who liked to tell people they felt fine, even when they obviously didn't. My father liked to claim he had no problem going up and down stairs, even though we could see how difficult it was. My father in law hated doctors and told everyone that he was fine (when he wasn't) so he could avoid going to them. Too bad, he probably would have lived longer if he had. OTOH when he finally got medical care his condition had reached an advanced stage and he died soon after--which in many ways is more desirable than living with a long chronic illness. So maybe he was the smart one after all.
OK, now for my opinion about the Washington Post. I live in the DC metro area, so this is my local paper and I'm very aware of how it's gone steadily downhill in the past decade. I read it daily for years but finally cancelled my subscription about 5 years ago when they let most of their reporters go and the quality of their reporting became dreadful. Now they rarely publish anything that requires reporters to actually dig for facts. Instead, they've fallen into the trap of publishing articles that can be written in five minutes; it's become mostly crap that isn't based on much data but is dramatic and can "grab eyeballs". And apparently they're stooping to printing "re-runs" of articles, since we did this topic already and it was based on a Wapo article the last time. I wonder if they even bothered rewriting it.
Np. I do NOT think it's true...but I do think that boomers are in the habit of talking about their stress,
their stressor's (and every other dam-ned thing) more than any previous generations did.
I think you nailed it. We're whinier.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
