Lessen Your Stress To Protect Your Health
If you don’t wind a guitar string tight enough, it can’t make a sound. But
apply too much tension, and it snaps. People and stress are a lot like that.
We’ve all felt the enhanced focus and surge in productivity we get from
a looming deadline or a client’s high expectations. But when pressure exceeds
our ability to cope, our health, mood, creativity and relationships are bound to
suffer.
Dr. Hans Selye, the Vienna-born endocrinologist who pioneered
stress research in the 1930s, believed we experience strain not so much because
of what happens to us but because of the way we react to it. Our response makes
the difference between enjoying the challenges of running a business and
succumbing to burnout and exhaustion.
Stress causes a powerful
physiological response, which makes sense when you consider its survival value
for early humans.
When a cave-dwelling woman encountered a dangerous
beast, her body reacted with a cascade of changes that equipped her for fight or
flight. The hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine ramped up breathing and
heart rate, directed blood to the limbs, slowed digestion, spiked blood sugar,
and increased blood-clotting factors.
We no longer run into
saber-toothed tigers outside the cave door, but we go through the same
physiological arousal when somebody cuts us off in traffic or undermines our
authority in a meeting. Most of us are resilient enough to cope with ordinary
stress triggers.
But when stresses are chronic, the same arousal that
helped our cavewoman escape a tiger can damage our physical and mental health.
How Stress Affects Your Health
Researchers say chronic strain
can cause high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, irritable bowel syndrome
and depression. Many believe weight gain is another result of chronically
elevated stress hormones. Stress can also depress the immune system and worsen
symptoms for those who have HIV/AIDS, arthritis, ulcers, skin disorders and
other conditions.
The nonprofit American Institute of Stress estimates
that work-related stress costs American businesses $300 billion a year from
accidents and injuries, time off work, turnover, reduced productivity, medical,
legal and insurance expense, and workers’ compensation
judgments.
Further, health care costs are almost 50 percent higher for
those who say they suffer from high stress, reports the Journal of Occupational
and Environmental Medicine.
Ongoing strain takes a toll on creativity
too.
In separate studies of graduate students, schoolchildren, musicians
and others, various researchers found that elevated stress caused poor
performance at tasks that require creative thinking and problem-solving. The
arousal of the flight-or-fight response isn’t compatible with the relaxed, free
flow of ideas or higher-order tasks.
Are You (Or Your Employees)
Stressed Out?
There’s no diagnostic test to show whether your stress is
manageable or inching toward the red zone. But these signs of tension can
indicate you (or employees) have a problem:
-
Irritability and short temper
-
Muscle tension—especially in neck, jaw, and
shoulders
-
Anxiety or panic, sometimes accompanied by shallow
breathing, rapid heart rate, and/or sweaty palms
-
Constant feeling of time pressure
-
Moodiness and depression
-
Headache
-
Back pain
-
Trouble sleeping
-
Difficulty concentrating
-
Persistent fatigue
-
Upset stomach, diarrhea or other digestive
disorders
-
Worsened symptoms of chronic illness (e.g.,
arthritis, lupus)
-
Feeling of paralysis—inability to make decisions
or take action
-
Sexual dysfunction
If you have
employees, odds are they feel pressured. A 2000 Gallup Poll found that four in
five workers do, and almost half want help in learning how to manage tension.
One-quarter of those surveyed have felt like screaming on the job, and 14
percent felt like hitting a co-worker.
The same year, a national survey
of 1,300 U.S. workers, commissioned by real-estate valuation firm Integra Realty
Resources, found that nearly one in eight had called in sick because of
stress.
Employee tension may manifest as:
And employees’
anxiety may spill over at work even if the cause is trouble at home (a top
source of anxiety), worry over loved ones or health issues.
Changing
Your Response To Stress
There’s no such thing as a stress-free life—and
if there were, would you want it? As Dr. Selye put it, “Complete freedom from
stress is death.”
Given that fact, there are only two things you can
change to alter your reaction to anxiety: yourself and your environment, to the
extent it’s under your control.
Let’s start with steps you can take to
moderate your response to stress.
-
Take care of yourself
When you’re under
strain, it’s easy to let good health habits slide. But that’s when you most need
good nutrition, sleep and exercise.
Snack on fruit, vegetables, nuts and
protein. Cut back on sugary treats and too much caffeine—both of which make
blood sugar spike, then crash, causing greater fatigue.
When you feel
pressured, walk away from work—literally—for five, 10 or 15 minutes. Even small
doses of exercise help dissipate surging stress hormones. If possible, add brief
walks before and after work and during your lunch break.
If you enjoy a
hobby or aerobic activity, make time for it. Swimming, gardening, jogging or
painting two or three times a week eliminates tension and enhances resilience.
-
Relax your body and mind
One simple way
to unwind is spending a few minutes stretching major muscle groups. Or learn
progressive relaxation, which involves tightening, then relaxing muscles while
breathing deeply.
“Mindfulness meditation” builds awareness of tension
and your physical response. Spend a few minutes focusing on breathing and scan
your body for stress symptoms—a queasy stomach or tight shoulders. Merely
observing what’s going on, without judgment, relieves pressure.
Relaxation methods are taught in communities everywhere as well as in
classic books such as Dr. Herbert Benson’s “The Relaxation Response”
(HarperTorch, 1976) and Lawrence LeShan’s “How to Meditate” (Little, Brown,
1999). Practicing these techniques regularly has been proven to lower blood
pressure and calm the other physical manifestations of stress.
-
Express yourself
When pressure rises,
social contact is more important than ever. Talk to family members or friends,
or meet with a counselor or therapist.
Some people find relief through
writing about difficult situations. Others pray. Whether you’re talking to your
higher power, your journal or your brother, discussing problems relieves strain.
-
Manage your time
Becoming more efficient
won’t eliminate the pressures of running a business, but it will give you a
greater sense of control, which in itself lessens stress.
Read
time-management books, or consider taking a workshop or hiring a consultant. The
techniques you learn will help you recover wasted time and improve your
effectiveness.
-
Find the lighter side
In his book
“Anatomy of An Illness” (Norton, 2005), Norman Cousins explains how he regained
his health, primarily through laughter. No joke: Exposure to books and movies
that tickle the funny bone lessens anxiety, enhances immune function and
promotes healing.
-
Reducing Strain In The Work
Environment
Because you’re the boss, you have the power to change your
company’s environment for the better. Here are ways to cut down on stress for
yourself and staff.
-
Build in breaks
Make sure employees
periodically take a breather, especially on hectic days. Add as much variety as
possible to their work so they’re not constantly performing the same task.
Conduct walking meetings so everybody gets a stress-buster.
-
Beautify the place
Researchers have
discovered that office workers exposed to flowers and foliage plants are more
creative and less anxious. You can also encourage relaxation with music or the
soothing sound of water from a tabletop fountain.
Enhance the office’s
appeal with paint and décor in peaceful hues—especially blues and greens. Avoid
red, bright yellow and orange, which increase arousal.
Fragrance
improves mood as well. Try candles or oil lamps scented with lavender, pine,
clove, rose, orange and other aromas.
-
Clear the communication channels
Anxiety
increases when you and employees have different expectations. Make sure workers
understand your philosophy and goals—and how their job contributes to the
company’s success. Set and discuss priorities so workers know what’s important
to you.
Studies show that good communication is the most significant
factor in making employees feel that their work environment is healthy. The
result is higher job satisfaction, better morale and fewer absences.
Conduct performance reviews at least once or twice a year to compare
notes, offer suggestions for improvement and learn about problems. Listen to
complaints with an open mind. You’ll relieve employees’ stress if they know they
can come to you with difficulties.
-
Value employees as people
Understand
that they bring stresses of their own to work and be flexible about their
personal needs. You might lose work hours in the short term, but in the long
run, you’re building employee loyalty and commitment to the business.
Whenever possible, give workers a say in decision-making. The most
debilitating strain occurs as a result of extreme pressure coupled with low
control.
For More Information
To learn more about
managing stress, investigate these resources.
National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health publication “Stress Management in Work
Settings”
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/87-111.html
The American
Institute of Stress, with a focus on stress and health
http://www.stress.org/