Stress, even mild stress, can have an impact on your health, and if the title of this article caused you to swallow hard, you’re already at your limit.
A study published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health tracked more than 17,000 working adults up to the age of 64 in Sweden for about six years. During the monitoring period, 649 people started receiving disability benefits—203 for a mental health issue, and the remainder for physical health concerns. They concluded that those with higher levels of stress were up to 70% more likely to be rewarded long-term benefits.
Of course reducing the stresses in your life is far easier said than done. A classic stress test, developed by Dr. Richard Holmes and Dr. Thomas Rahe called the Life Events Survey (also known as The Social Readjustment Scale) measures the number and severity of life events that occur in a two-year period. A score less than 200 (less than 200 might mean you perceive your life as boring or uneventful) or over 276 indicates risks for illnesses.
If you’ve taken a few minutes to complete the brief survey and have found your results to be out of the range of moderate stress (either lower or higher), then you might want to alter your lifestyle by introducing some stress management exercises into your daily routine. (This might also be a test you want to share with faculty and fellow staff members; and be sure to share the following stress reducing exercises.)
Stress Exercises for The Workplace
- Bring nature into your workspace. Placing a plant on your desk is a simple way to brighten up your environment. Green is a soothing color that is proven to passively energize your mind. If you can find a small desk fountain, try to spend a few minutes each day focusing on its soft bubbling. Running water is also proven to calm the mind.
- Massage your scalp with soft taps. Two minutes of gently tapping on your scalp can help promote blood circulation to the brain. Stress causes blood to thicken and run slower, so a few minutes of gently tapping your scalp with your fingertips can help bring healthy, fresh blood to your mind, powering you up to push through the morning or afternoon.
- Play relaxing music. If your office discourages music, download some soothing favorites to your iPod or MP3 player and plug in for awhile. Music soothes the savage beast as they say, and stress is certainly a nasty beast worth soothing!
- Empty your inbox. Unread e-mails and stacks of unfinished paperwork are stress inducing. Designate a time of day to respond to e-mails and consider turning your mail off at periods to better focus on projects and tasks. As for the pile of papers stacked high on the end of your desk, start by clearing one piece at a time, and make a promise to yourself to only save what’s important. The sense of accomplishment will give a positive jolt to carry you through the rest of the day—if not the rest of the week.
- Take your breaks. When you’re busy, it’s easy to skip lunch and breaks as you try to power through your seemingly never-ending projects. Although it might feel great to leave at the end of the day knowing you’ve checked off another project from your to-do list, it’s not healthy to ignore your mind’s pleas for a moment of peace. Breaks and lunches are important rests—your eyes, mind, and body need to recharge. Don’t make a habit of powering through them, enjoy them!
- Take a giggle break. This is the one break you take right at your desk. When you start to feel tense take a minute or two to read your favorite comic strip online or browse through a few funny images. Laughter is a great way to release tension.
Stress Exercises for Home
- Focus on your breaths. Meditating or focusing on your breaths is a proven technique to help people who suffer from anxiety. Settle into a comfortable position and focus on the rise and fall of your abdomen. Feel the way your breath enters and exits through your nose. Start by concentrating on 40 breaths (about 5 minutes) and work up to extending your technique to 15 minutes.
- Call a friend. Sure, Facebook is quicker to keep in contact with old friends, but there is relaxing strength in talking out loud about your stresses. Sometimes just saying what is bothering you can relieve your concerns.
- Take supplements. Stress can deplete your body’s stored Vitamin B and C. B-complex (50 to 100 mg) and Vitamin C (1000mg) supplements can make a noticeable difference in your energy levels.
- Eat more vegetarian meals. It has been observed that vegetarians tend to be somewhat calmer and more easy-going. It can be argued that these personality types are more attracted to a vegetarian lifestyle in the first place. However, there are some studies that show reducing meat consumption promotes a calmer disposition. You don’t have to convert to a vegetarian-only lifestyle to make a dent in your levels of stress. Simply eliminating meats from a few meals a week can help your body recharge. * *(Edmond J. Bourne, PH.D., “The Aniexty & Phobia Workbook fifth edition” page 353)
- Exercise. Exercise helps to release stress and tension from the body. You don’t need to join a gym to feel the benefits, either. Take a walk around your neighborhood, go for a nature hike, or spend an hour in your living room on your yoga mat stretching.
- Get a massage. Massaging the tension out of tight mussels helps the body relax, and will in turn help your mind relax.
- Keep a journal. Electronic or hand-written doesn’t matter. What matters is your releasing pent up emotions and thoughts which can help your mind to relax. But, don’t just write all the negative thoughts you’ve been carrying around throughout the day. Practice incorporating affirmations into your journal, such as, “It’s okay to be upset when things go wrong”; “I’m learning to be comfortable with myself”; and “I appreciate my achievements—and, I’m much more than all of them put together.”
Additional ISM Articles of Interest:
Monthly Update for Business Managers Vol. 9 No. 2 Managing Stress 101
Monthly Update for Business Managers Vol. 9 No. 3 Managing Stress 102
ISM Monthly Update Private School News Vol. 8 No, 11 Kids Feel Stress Both From Their Parents and Peers
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 9 No. 5 Reduce Stress and Increase Memory
ISM Monthly Update for Division Heads Vol. 8 No. 9 Journaling Isn’t Just Personal
Additional ISM Articles for Consortium Members
To The Point Vol. 15 No. 7 More Time, Less Stress: It's All in the Schedule!
I&P Vol. 26 No. 2 What the Head Must Know About the Business Manager’s Work Environment
