As we finally ring in the new year, many people can feel overwhelmed with the previous year's lack of completed tasks and having not done them well. Alli Joseph discusses in her article how to reduce stress this year. Stress is one of the top three health care costs in the United States, only behind heart disease and cancer. 80 percent of visits to the doctor's office are due to stress-related issues. It has been found that only 3 percent of healthcare providers discuss with their patients how to reduce stress. Typically stress management counseling is used last when remedies such as nutrition, exercise, weight loss and smoking are used first.
Dawn Lorentz, who is meditation expert, aids large companies and their employees in learning yoga and breathing techniques to reduce stress. She believes that stress management is the ability to take charge of your life, thoughts, emotions and the techniques that you use to deal with issues that may arise. Dawn Lorentz dealt with her own stress-related health issues for quite some time but found techniques to heal her body.
Lorentz explains that the body can deal with short-term stress for a certain amount of time, but if it continues it can lead to long-term health issues. As the body experiences stress, it releases adrenaline and cortisol to release stress hormones that in turn signal to the liver to produce more sugar in the body to help surge energy to deal with the perceived danger. This increased level of blood sugar can lead to weight gain, diabetes and disrupt the immune, cardiovascular, digestive and musculoskeletal system. To combat stress, Lorentz suggests taking short breaks throughout the workday. Some techniques are doing breathing exercises, shoulder rolls and arm movements. These short breaks have been found to decrease medical costs, less missed work days and increased productivity. She suggests taking 30-minute walks or yoga/spinning classes during lunch or between meetings. When other nutritional measures such as eating whole foods such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts and legumes and avoiding processed food, this can also aid in overall wellness. When wellness programs are included in work environments such as yoga, meditation or chiropractic care the companies found a 28 percent decrease in employees calling in sick. Participants of these programs have also been reported to have increased happiness, health, energy and weight loss. Lorentz states that keeping a journal to monitor your diet, exercise, water intake and practicing mindfulness can all aid in making sure this new year is filled with less stress and more joy.
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Source: http://www.salon.com/2017/01/01/looking-forward-to-a-calm-healthy-2017-here-are-some-practical-approaches-to-fighting-workplace-stress/
