WORK STRESS IS NOW THE BIGGEST 'STRESSOR' IN OUR LIVES

I have written many times about stress on this blog and what happens to the body when we are stressed so I won't repeat this again as my last article explained this. We don't have the stresses we once had as we evolved as our ancestors did and the body's reactions to stressors aided our survival but by far the biggest stressor in our life is work related. Stress evokes the sympathetic nervous system into action, blood pressure is raised senses heightened etc, short term as it was originally designed is fine, for in fact some degree of stress does motivate us, but it was not designed to be long term and when stress continues that is where it begins to affect or health.

So what can we do to alleviated stress? we evoke the opposite to the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, this reverses the increased blood pressure, lowers levels of adrenaline and makes us feel relaxed. One of the best ways to do this is by Holistic Therapies, there are many to choose from. aromatherapy, reflexology, indian head massage, any kind of massage in fact, reiki and one of the easiest, and it costs nothing and you don't need to visit a therapist is 'Meditation'.

There are various methods to induce a meditative state, some like to focus on something, such as the breathing or candle flame, but no matter which method is used, it is beneficial as it has be proven to reduce blood pressure, and reduce activity in the nervous system, namely by invoking the parasympathetic nervous system. Breathing slows and becomes deeper and more efficient, the heart rate slows down and as regards the brain it has been researched that even a small course of meditation strengthens connections between regions of the brain that regulate our emotional responses. In effect meditation has the opposite effect on the body as does Stress.

To find out more about solutions to stress and other holistic therapies click here there you will find a guided meditation you can read and record it and play it back with some music or see the tabs at the top of this page.

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ARTICLE BELOW HERE IS FROM THE DAILY MAIL

Work stress is now the biggest factor driving harassed Britons to drink, drugs and depression

• A third of adults say their job is the most stressful part of their lives, according to a study carried out for Mind
• 57% of adults admit to drinking after work and 14% say they even drink DURING the day 
• 7% of adults say they have suicidal thoughts because of work-related stress

Work stress is now the biggest factor in driving Britons to drink, drugs and depression, according to mental health experts.

More than a third of adults say their job is the most stressful aspect of their lives – more so than money or health worries.

Six in ten (57 per cent) of these hit the bottle after work – with one in seven (14 per cent) even drinking during the day, a survey for mental health charity Mind found.

More than a third of adults say their job is the most stressful aspect of their lives

The organisation also reported that workplace stress caused 7 per cent to have suicidal thoughts, rising to a worrying 10 per cent of those aged 18 to 24.

Companies themselves are also affected, said Mind, as 19 per cent of workers have thrown a sickie because they could not face going in to work that day.

 

Around one in 11 (9 per cent) have resigned from a job because of stress while a quarter (25 per cent) admit they have thought about quitting but have yet to do so, it was found. 

Workers rarely feel they can talk to their bosses about being stressed, even though most employers say they would like to do more to help improve the mental wellbeing of staff, said the charity.

Work is now the biggest factor driving Britons to drink, drugs and depression, experts have warned

Mind’s chief executive, Paul Farmer, said: ‘Work-related mental health problems are an issue too important for businesses to ignore

‘We know that right now, one in six workers is experiencing depression, stress or anxiety and yet our survey tells us that most managers don’t feel they have had enough training or guidance to support them.’

While 34 per cent say work is the biggest cause of stress, 30 per cent say it is financial problems. And 17 per cent of the 2,000 adults surveyed said health worries were causing them stress or anxiety.

Other ways of coping include using sleeping tablets or anti-depressants, or smoking.