Today is ‘Stress Down Day’, a national initiative to reduce stress and raise awareness for Lifeline. To support this cause, TMS Consulting staffers started the day with laughter yoga, a healthy breakfast and being a little bit ridiculous. A recent survey found that 98% of Australian’s agree that laughter has a large impact in reducing stress.
Laughing has the benefits of:
- Lowering blood pressure
- Increasing blood flow and oxygenation of the blood
- Reducing stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
How can I better manage stress?
There are lots of ways to help manage stress.
- Target the source. The best way to deal with stress is to understand what is causing it, and address the underlying issues, rather than trying to mask it.
- Acknowledge stress, but don’t battle it. It’s ok to experience negative emotions; it’s a natural part of being human. It is easier to accept when we are feeling stressed, than it is to try and battle through or ignore it and expect that it will go away.
- Take responsibility for your wellbeing. People who are healthy are often better able to cope and less likely to feel stressed. This involves taking breaks at work, eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes, and getting plenty of sleep!
- Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control, particularly the behaviour of other people. Rather than letting others get to you, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.
- Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. If you can learn to be more optimistic in your everyday life, you are likely to cope better with stressful situations when they arise.
So what is stress?
Stress is the mental or emotional strain we feel as a result of experiencing adversity or demanding situations. Not all stress is bad; a certain amount of stress can help to keep us focused and motivated. Negative stress, or distress, occurs when we feel that the demands we are faced with outweigh our ability to cope.
Workplace stress can be experienced when we are faced with work demands and pressures that are not matched by our skills, knowledge and ability. Work factors that may cause stress include workplace changes, long work hours, unrealistic work demands, lack of autonomy, poor communication, lack of clarity, job insecurity, office politics, and workplace bullying.
Lifeline Services are available from:
Lifeline 13 11 14 | Domestic & Family Violence Counselling 1800 737 732
1800 737 732 | MensLine 1300 7899781300 789978
