43 percent of U.S. adults suffer adverse health effects from stress, according to an American Psychological Association (APA) study.
Stress and anxiety are not just in your mind. They weaken your immune system, making you vulnerable to illnesses and putting you at an increased risk of allergies, autoimmune diseases and heart disease, according to the APA. Stress can trigger or worsen diabetes. Your body releases stress hormones that automatically release extra sugar into your bloodstream.
Stress can also accelerate aging. According to a 2006 studyof the APA, people with chronic stress are more likely to suffer from age-related diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, major depression, mental decline, osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome.
Stress can even impact your weight. According to the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, the greater the stress in a woman’s life, the greater her weight.
The #1 Cause of Stress
According to The American Institute of Stress (AIS), “Job stress is far and away the major source of stress for American adults … and it has escalated progressively over the past few decades.”
Consider the following statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health:
- 40% of workers say their job is very or extremely stressful
- 25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives
- 75% of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago
- 29% of workers say they feel “quite a bit or extremely stressed at work”
Problems at work are more strongly associated with health problems than any other life stressor, including financial or family problems
Job stress can result from any number of things, but often it has to do with fears of getting laid off, unrealistic expectations, an emotionally hazardous work environment or a physically hazardous one.
Stress in the workplace is clearly becoming a public health issue. Following are even more startling findings from a 2000 Integra Survey:
- 65% of workers said that workplace stress had caused them difficulties (and 10% said the difficulties had major effects).
- 62% routinely had work-related neck pain at the end of the day.
- 44% reported stressed-out eyes.
- 38% had pain in their hands.
- 34% reported difficulty sleeping because of work-related stress.
- Nearly one in four workers has cried over workplace stress, and 19% have quit a job because of it.
- Over half of workers say the frequently skip lunch because of job demands.
- 29% have yelled at co-workers because of job stress
- 42% say that yelling and verbal abuse are common
- 2% have actually struck someone at work.
The flailing economy and its sky-high unemployment and job-loss statistics have only put more pressure on the American work force. The fear of job loss through lay-offs, outsourcing or company closures is a very real and very stressful reality.
If you are one of the millions of people feeling anxiety, stress and pressure, what can you do? First off, make sure you are getting enough sleep, exercising, talking about things with a trusted friend and eating right. Once you are living a healthier life, the next step is to take control of your emotions. ARISE has the perfect workshop to help you do just that.
ARISE has a fantastic program called CHOICES: Drop It At The Door, which is proven to help reduce stress, diffuse conflict and help you manage anger, especially in the workplace. CHOICES teaches participants that negative energy, stress and anger are all emotions you choose to take part in. By actively choosing to stay calm and release your fears, you steer your life in the direction YOU want it to go.
It works.
For more information or to schedule a training session, call ARISE at 1-888-680-6100 or visit http://www.ariselife-skills.org.
* special thanks to sixwise.com for the statistics about stress.
Posted by ARISE life skills 
