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Stress has been in the news as a health epidemic since the early eighties and the situation is continuing to worsen as a growing number of workers report that they are suffering increasing stress at work. In fact the workplace now constitutes the leading environment for stress among adult Americans. However stress levels have also risen for children in recent years and a lot of people now link this to a loss of family and religious values, isolation, a lack of social support and also corporate greed.

Stress these days is far more dangerous than it was just ten years ago and seems to be more prevalent and more invasive than before with much greater stress coming from psychological instead of physical threats.

Stress causes a rise in heart rate and increased flow of blood leading in turn to higher blood pressure. Blood sugar levels also increase to provide the body with the added fuel which it requires to fight stress and our body is designed to move blood away from the stomach when under stress to provide additional strength in the legs and arms as part of what is typically referred to as our “flight or fight” response.

Stress also leads to anxiety and chronic depression as well as to skin and gastrointestinal problems and disrupts the working of a number of our main organs. It also causes impairment of the body’s immune system so that it in unable to fight off viral disorders from the not especially serious cold to very serious conditions like cancer and AIDS.

Stress at work directly influences such things as productivity and employee absenteeism and the business climate gets progressively worse with competition these days at an all-time high. The pressure that is placed on employees to produce and the continual concern about job security can result in various conditions including back pain, neck pain, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, ulcers and heart attacks.

Many different things can cause stress including simply sitting in front of a computer for six hours every day or more, meeting deadlines or having somebody continually watching you. Here the results are frequently seen as depression and a number of physical complaints which result in lost work time.

Taking the necessary steps to manage the stress you have in your life may be the best gift that you can give yourself and a few fairly simple alterations to your lifestyle can make a big difference to the way in which you handle stress. For example, taking a mere 20 minutes out of your day to walk will lower your level of stress as will talking to friends, meditation and eating a healthier diet. Take the time needed to master several relaxation techniques because deep breathing and relaxation exercises can greatly reduce your level of stress.

Tags: Health & Fitness //