New Year’s is always a time for resolutions and promises. Whether it’s a pledge to stop eating junk food or slow down our lives and gain perspective on what matters, January 1st seems like the obvious choice for a fresh start. With a new century in the making, it’s difficult not to focus on all things we want to change for the better.
As a busy working Mom, de-stressing is my focus for 2000. I’ve even done some research to keep me focused on my new resolution when times get tough.
Did you know that 43 percent of adults suffer adverse health effects due to stress? Or that 75 to 90 percent of all visits to primary-care physicians are for stress-related complaints? Stress has been linked to all the leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, immune deficiencies and suicide. If all that doesn’t make you feel like taking a yoga class, just keep reading.
An estimated 1 million workers are absent on the average work day due to stress-related complaints. In fact, stress is said to be responsible for more than half of the 550 million workdays lost annually because of absenteeism. (Those mental health days are real!) The cost? About $300 billion annually. Not surprisingly, the market for stress management programs, products and services racked up about $11.3 billion for the U.S economy in 1999.
If your daily stress level at work is a good barometer for how much you like your job, you have plenty of company. The Center for the Advancement of Health recently reported that 88 percent of 1,000 workers surveyed in a national poll cited stress as an important factor. Almost half said they were highly concerned about it. Statistics show that nearly half of American workers suffer symptoms of burnout, a disabling reaction to stress on the job. Some 40 percent of worker turnover is attributed to job stress.
Why the stress mess? Again, the statistics tell the story. Nearly half of the people surveyed by the Center for the Advancement of Health spend more than 40 hours a week at work, with 18 percent working more than 50-hour weeks. Mandatory overtime with little or no notice was a factor for 45 percent. (That’s all too real in healthcare!) Even after hours, few people can relax. Problems falling asleep plague about 87 percent of the respondents.
It seems everyone I know is struggling to juggle job demands with their need to have a satisfying personal life. Stress is the inevitable fallout of this daily struggle. While it is unavoidable, it really helps to make it a priority.
I’ve heard about the benefits of stress management consultants, audiotapes, relaxation camps, stress-away software, on-line de-stress chat sessions and even electromagnetic emitters that reduce stress while you sleep, but those aren’t for me. Here are some of the solutions I’ve found.
Positive thinking. Refocus the negative to be positive. Talk positively to yourself. Plan some fun. (Regularly and Often.) Make an effort to stop negative thoughts. Add physical activity to your routine. (And stick with it.) Eat good food in moderation. Make an effort to interact socially with people you like. Reach out to individuals. Nurture yourself and others. Teach yourself to relax (listen to music or use guided imagery) and commit to do it regularly. Listen to your body. Take a mini retreat.
I hope your millennium is happy, and good luck keeping your resolutions.
But don’t stress out about it if you don’t. 
Mary C. Tierney
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