Some Startling Stress and Anxiety Statistics and What You Can Do to Eliminate Your High-Stress
by www.SixWise.com
A full 43 percent of U.S. adults suffer adverse health effects
from stress, according to an American Psychological Association
(APA) study.
|
Problems at work are more strongly associated with
health problems than any other life stressor, including
financial or family problems.
|
Not only does stress and anxiety interfere with your immune
system, making you vulnerable to illnesses like the flu, it
impairs your body's ability to respond to its anti-inflammatory
signals, putting you at an increased risk of allergies, autoimmune
diseases and heart disease.
In other words, chronic stress is known to actually intensify
inflammation,
according to the APA, which makes you more vulnerable to inflammatory
and neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis.
Stress can also trigger diabetes, or worsen it if you already
have it, because when your body is stressed it releases stress
hormones that automatically release extra sugar into your
bloodstream (which is, of course, not a good thing for someone
with diabetes who is already struggling with high blood sugar).
You may also not have known that stress can actually accelerate
aging. According to a 2006 study presented at the 114th Annual
Convention of the APA, people with chronic stress are more
likely to suffer from age-related diseases including Alzheimer's
disease, major depression, mental decline, osteoporosis and
metabolic syndrome.
Stress can even impact your weight. According to the Study
of Women's Health Across the Nation, the greater the stress
in a woman's life, the
greater her weight. This was true even after other factors,
like exercise habits, diet and smoking, were accounted for.
And a recent study published in the journal Obesity found
that children whose parents were stressed, along with kids
who were being bullied
at school, were more likely to be stressed or depressed
themselves. This, in turn, made it more difficult for kids
who were overweight
or obese to return to a healthier weight.
The #1 Cause of Stress
According to The American Institute of Stress (AIS), "Job
stress is far and away the major source of stress for American
adults ... and it has escalated progressively over the
past few decades."
Consider the following statistics from the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health:
-
40% of workers say their job is very or extremely stressful
-
25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their
lives
-
75% of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job
stress than a generation ago
-
29% of workers say they feel "quite a bit or extremely
stressed at work"
-
Problems at work are more strongly associated with health
problems than any other life stressor, including financial
or family problems
Job stress can result from any number of things, but often
it has to do with fears of getting laid off, unrealistic expectations,
an emotionally
hazardous work environment, or a physically hazardous
one.
Stress in the workplace is clearly becoming a public health
issue. Following are even more startling findings from a 2000
Integra Survey:
-
65% of workers said that workplace stress had caused
them difficulties (and 10% said the difficulties had major
effects).
-
62% routinely had work-related neck pain at the end of
the day, 44% reported stressed-out eyes, 38% had pain
in their hands and 34% reported difficulty sleeping because
of work-related stress.
-
Nearly one in four workers has cried over workplace stress,
and 19% have quit a job because of it.
-
Over half of workers say the frequently skip lunch because
of job demands.
-
29% have yelled at co-workers because of job stress,
42% say that yelling and verbal abuse are common, and
2% have actually struck someone at work.
It no wonder then that health care expenditures are nearly
50 percent greater for workers who report high levels of stress,
according to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine.
|
Stretch Your Way to
a Stress-Free Life
 Here's
what people are saying about Jacques Gauthier's "Stretching
Toward a Healthier Life."
"Without a doubt, the simple stretching exercises
on this DVD will add life to your years ... and years
to your life!"
-- Dr. Jean Chevrefils, Quebec
"I found Jacques' stretching program extremely
beneficial for my own chronic back pain and can recommend
it highly."
-- Walter C. Prehn, MD
"I've had your videotape for a year now and have
been doing the stretching intensively. My back and knee
pain are now just a bad memory."
-- Pierrette Abel
FREE SHIPPING
for a Limited Time!
Read
More About the Stretching DVD & Order Now!
|
Of course, there are many
other causes of stress, too. Relationships, health problems,
finances, personal safety (in an increasingly dangerous world),
and even keeping up with household cleaning, maintenance and
property taxes can all cause chronic stress and anxiety.
Five Tips to Reduce Stress in Your Life
According to Dr. Esther Sternberg, director of the Integrative
Neural Immune Program at NIH's National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH), "The objective should be not to get rid
of stress completely because you can't get rid of stress --
stress is life, life is stress. Rather, you need to be able
to use your stress response optimally."
|
While you're under stress, it's extremely important
to take care of yourself by exercising, eating well,
getting enough sleep and taking time to relax.
|
To do this, you must be able to cope with the stress that
will inevitably pop up in your life, and here are the top
five ways to do so.
- Exercise: Aside from strengthening your heart
and lungs, two organs that can become physically affected
from too much stress, it's great for your mental health
too. Exercising increases the levels of endorphins in your
body, which stimulate your immune system, reduce stress
and put you in a better mood.
Stretching should be integrated with your exercise routine,
as it will provide you with increased energy levels and
an even greater sense of well-being. There are countless
stretches for your body, but it takes just 15 of them
to stretch 95 percent of your body, according to stretching
expert and creator of the DVD Stretching
Toward a Healthier Life, Jacques Gauthier. His Stretching
Toward a Healthier Life DVD shows you all 15 of these
most effective stretching exercises, and the full program
takes just 15 to 20 minutes a day.
- Take Time to Relax: This may sound easy, but how
many of you reading this actually schedule time into your
day to relax and enjoy life? Your body and mind know how
to relax -- you just need to give them "permission"
to do so. This is easier said than done, of course, so for
those of you who need a little help, we highly recommend
the Pure
Relaxation: Guided Meditations for Body, Mind & Spirit
CD by respected meditation expert Mary Maddux .
The guided meditations and music on this CD calm your
mind, soothe your emotions and create a state of deep
relaxation in your body.
-
Get Plenty of Sleep: When we sleep, the stress
hormone, cortisol, is lowered, but when we are sleep deprived,
cortisol levels rise. Further, your energy levels will
go down and you'll be less able to cope with any setbacks
during your day.
-
Proper Nutrition: Fortifying your body with the
nutrients it needs is key to reducing stress (and staying
healthy while you're feeling it), as stress can actually
rob your body of nutrients. This means eating plenty of
fruits, vegetables and other antioxidant-rich
foods while avoiding junk foods.
-
Build Strong Friendships: Stress can lead to
feelings of depression and even isolation; keeping a network
of social ties can help to reduce those negative feelings
and boost your mood. Says Psychologist Elissa Epel of
the University of California, San Francisco School of
Medicine, "Building strong friendships and developing
new goals and priorities often can help curb stress."
Recommended Reading
How
To Role Model Effective Stress Reduction Strategies For Your
Kids
Stress
Keeping You Awake? Stressed Because You Can't Sleep?
Sources
Obesity.
2007 Jul;15(7):1799-807.
American
Psychological Association
The American
Institute of Stress
National
Institute for Occupational Health and Safety