Five Simple Ways to Eliminate Stress at Work and Home

 

Yeah, we need work to pay for our lifestyle.  It is also not in doubt that facing stress on the job every day is likely to make you ill. Job related stress can be as harmful as smoking, and workers with the most demanding jobs have minimal control over their work environment, equally those who have to face a bully boss or cope with bad attitude from colleagues suffer more from stress when compared to people who are happy on the job. 

 

Now, let us just think about how your body feels after a very stressful highly demanding day at work.  Your face feels hot, your hair is dry, and so is your skin.  You may go to the toilet several times, and your energy is zapped. Imagine having this experience 5 days a week.  What happens, your immune system starts to rebel, and you fall prey to a bout of flu, headaches, stomach aches, skin problems, and other stress related physical and emotional symptoms such as fatigue, feelings of irritability or anger, and sleeplessness. The truth of the matter is that stress can make you physically ill, because stress hormones cause the growth of certain bacteria.

 

Though many would tend to think they are managing their stress well, less people are exercising to deal with stress. Passive techniques seem to be more popular, including listening to music, watching comedy shows, which some people say they do to relieve stress.

There are also some unhealthy coping strategies like overeating or choosing unhealthy foods

 to deal with stress, alcohol consumption, and smoking.

So how do you avoid this negative condition at work? Experts say the best way is not to get worked up on the job.  Is that possible? Yes it is possible, but with a new perception on an old problem – pay attention to what is happening but avoid getting entangled in its negative analysis.  On your own, take stock of your particular situation and what causes you stress. Reach out to family, friends, and trusted advisors.

 

Research shows that receiving support from others is effective in managing stress. If you continue to feel overwhelmed by stress, then consider speaking to your doctor.

It is highly probable you know the habits involved in long-term, big-commitment stress reduction, such as exercising, eating right, getting plenty of sleep, planning ahead, delegating tasks, letting go of what you cannot control, and finding ways to talk through, directly and respectfully, the problems that are the sources of anxiety.   However, here's what you may not know: Recent studies have suggested five new simple stress reducers at home with a spillover effect into the workplace.  After all a peaceful home should make life at work much easier, right? So here we go with the strategies you can ease into your life:

·         The Power of Kissing and Touching

 

 

When you come home after a hard day at work and kiss your husband, tension melts and previous arguments are quickly resolved. Couples who kiss often are less likely to report suffering from stress and depression than couples who kiss only during lovemaking. The positive impact of kissing creates a sense of connectedness, which releases endorphins, the chemicals that counteract stress and depression. As regards touching, the gentle pressure of a hug can stimulate nerve endings under the skin that send calming messages to the brain and slow the release of cortisol.

·         Avoid Verbal Aggression 

The way a woman deals with frustration during aggressive hostile arguments can measurably affect her stress load, and thus her physical health. Prolonged surges of stress hormones can damage the immune system. One serious physical consequence of a hostile fighting style is that wives who lashed out at their husbands during disagreements had twice as much coronary artery calcification, a sign of heart disease, as wives who stayed composed. Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. It is the way couples disagree that affects health. Expert’s advice: Focus on the issue at hand, drop the sarcasm and name-calling. If necessary, take a step back and agree to talk about the situation later, when you are calmer.

·         Calming Benefits of Black Tea

Scientists found that people who drank black tea four times a day for six weeks had lower levels of cortisol after a stressful task than those who drank a caffeinated fruit beverage. Also a substance in green tea leaves, L-Theanine, may shift brain wave activity from anxiety to relaxation.  Angela, a 35 year old mother of two girls builds tea breaks into her day.  She finds the ritual of making the tea as calming as drinking it. The feel of the cup in her hand signals ‘time to unwind’.

·         Share Family Responsibility

Although both men and women tend to bring job-related worries home with them, only women get stressed as a result of home anxieties spilling over into the workplace. When your child is in a dire situation or a relative is in an emergency rush to the hospital, it is usually the women, not the men, who get the call at work. It will be a good idea to share call for minor emergencies with your spouse.  

·         Think About Your Priorities 

 When your stress level is so high you feel yourself going out of control, a quick way to re-arrange is to remind yourself of what is most important in your life. If you spend more time to think about things that are important to you, and leave matters that do not mean much, your reaction to stress will be less. Affirming your priorities alter the way you appraise a situation, turning the stressful event into more of a challenge than a threat. Hence, in a stressful situation, think about your loved ones, and how you have been a good spouse, mother, daughter, sister, or friend. Affirming close relationships is a powerful source to draw on in times of pressure.

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