Will You Relax?

For some twenty five years now stress has been seen as something of a health epidemic and the situation continues to get worse as more and more workers report they are increasingly suffering stress at work. Indeed the workplace now constitutes the leading environment for stress in adult Americans. But stress levels have also been rising for children and teenagers in the past few years and a lot of people believe that this is linked to a loss of family and religious values, insufficient social support and simple corporate greed.

Today, stress is more dangerous than it was a decade ago and looks to be more widespread and more invasive than ever with a greater degree of stress arising out of psychological instead of physical threats.

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

Stress contributes to chronic depression and anxiety as well as to skin and gastrointestinal problems and disrupts the work of several of our main organs. It also causes impairment of the body’s immune system which in unable to fight off viral conditions from the not especially serious cold to serious conditions such as cancer and AIDS.

Work related stress directly influences things like employee absenteeism and productivity and the business climate worsens little by little with competition today at an all-time high. The pressure which is placed upon workers to produce and the continual concern about job security can result in a number of conditions including back pain, neck pain, stroke, hypertension, ulcers, diabetes and heart attacks. 

Many different things can cause stress including simply sitting in front of a computer for seven hours a day or more, meeting deadlines or having someone continually watching you. In these situations the results are frequently seen as depression and a number of physical ailments that result in lost working hours.

Taking the necessary steps to manage the stress you have in your life could be the nicest gift you can give yourself and just a few simple changes to your life can make a big difference to the way in which you handle stress. For example, taking 20 minutes out of your day to walk will lower your stress as will talking to other people, meditation and prayer and eating a healthy diet. Take the time needed to master several relaxation techniques because breathing and relaxation exercises can significantly lower your level of stress.

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