Healthy Considerations

Stress has been featured prominently in the news as a major health epidemic for some years now and this situation continues to worsen as an increasing number of workers report they are increasingly suffering stress in the workplace. In fact work now constitutes the leading environment for the development of stress among adult Americans. But stress levels have also been rising for children and teenagers in recent years and a lot of people now link this to a loss of family and religious values, a lack of social support and simple corporate greed.

Nowadays, stress is far more of a danger than it was just ten years ago and looks to be more extensive and more invasive than ever with a lot more 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 can also contribute to chronic depression and anxiety together with gastrointestinal and skin problems and interferes with the working of many of our major organs. It can also create an impairment of the immune system so that it cannot fight viral disorders from the not particularly serious cold to very serious diseases like cancer and AIDS.

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

Many different things can cause stress including just sitting at a computer monitor for eight hours every day or more, meeting deadlines or having someone continually watching you. Here the results are often seen as depression and a host of physical complaints which result in lost working hours.

Taking the necessary steps to manage the stress you have in your life could well be the best gift that you can give yourself and a few fairly simple alterations to your lifestyle can make a huge difference to the way in which you handle stress. For instance, taking a mere 20 minutes out of your day to walk will reduce your stress as will talking to friends and colleagues, prayer and meditation and following a healthy diet. Take the time to learn some relaxation techniques because breathing and relaxation exercises can considerably reduce your stress levels.

Related posts:

1. Managing Your Stress With Good Health
2. Managing Your Stress With Good Health
3. How To Manage Stress At Work
4. Stress Reduction of 50% in Just a Few Relaxing Minutes
5. Blood Pressure Tips

Written by Donald Saunders