Posted on: June 8, 2007
End At-Work Stress for Better Health
Content workers are more productive and happier – getting there depends on learning how to cope with stress and a hormone called cortisol
By Bev Bennett
CTW Features
Although most people associate stress with major life changes on the personal front, such as having children or getting divorced, stress is most often your response when you feel that circumstances at work are moving beyond your ability to cope, says Kenford Nedd, M.D.
If stress simply led to a few sleepless nights, you’d have little to worry about. But the turmoil can put you at risk for various illnesses, including heart disease, according to Dr. Nedd, president of the International Stress Control Centre in Vancouver, B.C.
Surprisingly, little things irritate a lot.
“Most of the stressors that cause the diseases are minor, mundane, repetitive things at work,” says Dr. Nedd, author of “Power Over Stress”(QP Press, 2004).
(If you’ve ever seen the comedy movie “Office Space” you know how powerful petty annoyances can be.)
Fortunately you don’t have to quit your job to alleviate stress. You can control your reaction to situations that set you off, even if you have no say in the situation, says the behavioral expert.
Become attuned to the signals your body sends when you’re stressed.
As tension heightens your muscles and shoulders tighten and your body secretes cortisol, a so-called stress hormone associated with the fight or flight mechanism. Since you’re not about to duke it out or take off, you build up cortisol, which can compromise your immune system, leaving you vulnerable to disease.
Take a deep breath to alleviate the immediate pressure. Let your muscles go as you breathe out, says Dr. Nedd.
You can also take a couple of steps to head off stress.
First, eat breakfast.
“When you have no time for breakfast you allow cortisol to mount in your bloodstream,” says Dr. Nedd.
Second, get into the exercise habit. Physical activity is one of the best ways to combat stress, according to Jay Kenney, Ph.D and registered dietitian.
“When you move around you get rid of stress hormones,” says Kenney, the nutrition research specialist for Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Fla.
Ever have one of those days when you want to dive into a gallon of premium ice cream? Wallowing in high-fat food may offer a momentary stress relief but it’s a short-term solution, and not a good one at that, Kenney says.
And you should know that if you’re a habitual dieter, stress makes you even more vulnerable to a food binge, according to Kenney.
Have a stress-busting plan that isn’t food based. Simply taking a walk may restore your equilibrium.
