A certain amount of stress is normal, healthy and even necessary. Centuries ago stress was crucial for human existence when we lived in the era of hunting and gathering. Our “fight or flight” response was necessary for survival of the human race. As times have evolved, our body’s responses have not. Our body still reacts the same way even though the environment is not as life threatening. We've glamorized the overworked employee who put in 12 hour days being accessible to clients 24/7 through modern technology. This added in our environment stress has created serious health issues in the United States.

We need to understand the body doesn’t distinguish between physical and psychological stress. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, lack of sleep, or unpaid bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. Having a lot of responsibilities and worries requires your body’s emergency stress response to be “on” most of the time. This is where we can get into an unhealthy situation.

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can

1.        Raise blood pressure
2.        Suppress the immune system
3.        increase the risk of heart attack and stroke
4.        contribute to infertility
5.        Speed up the aging process

Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. Anti-depressants are in the top 5 medications in the United States. Go figure… high stress equals more medication. There are simple ways to manage your stress since it is nearly impossible to live in this world without it. Below are my 5 favorite ways to cope during stressful times.

1.  Move your body!  Endorphins are a great way to decrease your stress, which is why they are called the happy hormone.
2.  Laugh More!  Yes, laughter is a great way to decrease stress because also produces a chemical reaction that promotes relaxation.
3.  Quality Sleep!  When we are stressed we don't do so well at this.  But sleep is important in stress reduction because when we sleep our body spends time healing and repairing from the day's damage.  Also the added benefit of increased energy.
4.  Modify your environment!  Are there things in your environment that you CAN change to lower stress levels?  Often we find high sources of stress are things in which we can control.  Pay attention.
5.  Eat whole foods!  Of course, being the wellness coach I could not forget food!  Well, whole foods provide us with higher vitamin, mineral, and anti-oxidents so that we can ward off antigens that make us sick.  In this hectic life, becoming sick will only increase our source of stress!  

As an employer what can I do?

</br>Focus on stress in the workplace and learn to manage the environment to help your employees feel more balanced.  Provide an environment where laughter is encouraged, whole foods are available, and offer flex time to employees to get out and move during the workday to help keep stress levels down.  Also as an employer looks at the things in which you can change in your work environment to help keep employee stress at a minimum.  Remember a sick employee becomes an expensive employee.  Simple changes can create a large difference in the quality of your worksite culture!!
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