Battling Stress

Coping with Stress

According to the American Institute for Stress, “stress is America’s #1 health problem, there is more of it and it is more dangerous.”

The American Psychological Association estimates that “75 to 90% of all doctor visits are stress related and $300 billion is lost each year by American businesses due to stress.”

Out-of-pocket cost relating to stress is dramatically high. The U.S. center for disease control and prevention (CDC) estimates that “80% of U.S. health care expenditures are stress related.”

·        43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects due to stress, that’s roughly 90 million people.

·        Tranquilizers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications account for ¼ of all prescriptions written in the United States each year.

·        One million Americans are absent from work each day because of stress-related issues.

·        Unmanaged stress (or your reaction to it) is a higher risk factor for developing cancer or heart disease than either cigarette smoking or high cholesterol.

·        Up to 44% of women and 36% of men want to quit their jobs because of workplace stress.

This is not compatible with our quest to achieving optimal health. So, what can we do about it? Here are ten ideas to help us combat stress and strive for optimal health.

Harness the ability to form long-term trusting relationships with people around you. Having a network of friends that are trustworthy gives you an outlet to share war stories and issues that you battle everyday.

Begin a reflections journal. One study found that patients with mild to moderately sever asthma or rheumatoid arthritis had positive relevant changes in their health after four months of writing about their stressful experiences.

Lose the stress—don’t gain the pounds. Reactions to stress drive some to consume unhealthy foods like excessive chocolate. Be diligent to substitute for fruits and vegetables.

Begin with the end in mind. Does the jerk cutting you off in traffic really make that big of deal two hours from now? What is the big picture, will today’s stressful events matter one year from now?

Continue to sharpen the saw with books, classes, articles, workshops, and other avenues to strengthen your life skills. Many times by advancing current knowledge you gain confidence and self-efficacy thus suppressing fear and stress.

Understand that not all stress is bad. Stress can actually be good for us by challenging, or forcing, us to learn new and exciting things.

Maybe it’s the paradigm we are looking through that is causing the stress. Ask yourself, “Can I really control this situation or circumstance,” (like high gas prices), usually the answer is no.

 Spend as much time as possible preparing, planning, and preventing the stressful triggers in your life. Future planning is a remarkable tool when attempting to alleviate stress from your immediate concerns.

Meditation, mental imagery, yoga, autosuggestion, and massage are all splendid techniques to combat the daily battles that stress wages on our physiological system.

I could not make a list without mentioning the spectacular benefit of light to heavy activity. Make it a point to get some serious exercise and abolish the stress hormone cortisol with the pleasure hormones that exercise and physical activity promote.

“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive”

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