Nearly half of Canadians are feeling more sensitive to stress: report

Nearly half of working Canadians are feeling an increased sensitivity to stress, and they’re noticing the same feeling in their colleagues.

The latest Mental Health Index by LifeWorks shines a light on the challenges of working through the pandemic. A whopping 46% of Canadian workers say they feel more sensitive to stress, and 49% say they notice their colleagues are more sensitive to stress.

The index, which gathered responses from 3,000 Canadians, found that workers under the age of 40 were 50% more likely to be sensitive to stress. Workers over the age of 50 were less likely to be sensitive to stress.

While it may come as no surprise that many Canadians are feeling stressed, 17% said they would not seek professional help to cope, according to the report.

LifeWorks

“It is important for employers to recognize there is often more than meets the eye when it comes to how employees are feeling, and that providing ongoing communication and support is critical to ensure employee mental health remains a top priority,” LifeWorks President and CEO Stephen Liptrap said in a press release.

LifeWorks Global Leader and  Senior Vice President Paula Allen said that the prolonged uncertainty of the last two years is behind the increased sensitivity.

“While life has begun to return to a sense of normalcy for some, many are carrying the heavy weight of stressful world events on their shoulders. As these occurrences continue to impact peoples’ mental health, it will create an even more unpredictable landscape for individuals and the economy,” she said.

While many Canadians are feeling more sensitive to stress, the overall mental health index rose. It’s still well below pre-pandemic levels, at -10, but it’s up .5 of a point since March. The pre-pandemic benchmark was 0.0.

LifeWorks

Broken down by province, most regions are seeing a rebound in their mental health index, but Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba have seen a downward trend. In fact, all three provinces are hitting lows similar to December 2021.

Newfoundland has fared consistently better than all provinces with the exception of a brief dip from January to March 2022. BC, Ontario, Saskatchewan and the Maritimes are all on the rise.

LifeWorks