Stress has overtaken the common cold as a leading cause of absence from work. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has estimated that absenteeism costs the British industry more than £17 billion a year. According to recent studies carried out by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, around 50% of workplace absence can be linked to stress. Studies have found the prolonged effect of too much stress may be responsible for different diseases, including:
heart attacks/strokes
hypertension/high blood pressure
ulcers
diabetes
angina
cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression
Stress is a normal part of everyone’s life. But each person is uniquely different and this also applies on the amount of pressure each of us can take. At the right amount of pressure we work at our optimum. We will be effective, creative, decisive, alert and stimulated. But too much pressure can lead to anxiety, fatigue, and burnout.
There are three systems in our body that are particularly affected by temporary stress and chronic stress: the heart (hypertension, angina, coronary artery disease, strokes, aneurysm), the immune system (interfering with the body’s natural healing processes) and the digestive system (constipation, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, cramping, ulcers, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome).
It is often the behavioural symptoms that are noticed first, as they are more obvious, but by this time stress has been going on for many months, maybe even a year or more. If you or a loved one are suffering from stress, it needs to be addressed and not ignored.
Learning to break free from stress could dramatically improve your mood; your relationships, your health, your life and the lives of all those around you.
To find out more about stress and its behavioural, physiological and psychological symptoms please visit: https://www.rayoflight.online/what-is-stress
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ray Deekes is a firestarter. He is passionate about inspiring and empowering others to reach their true potential and to live a fulfilling life.
He brings a mix of stress management acumen and understanding on peak performance, health & wellbeing learnt from his studies in Stress Management, Health & Wellbeing (Centre for Stress Management, London) as well over 20 years of experience in high demanding jobs working with top executives from around the world and over 30 years of sports practice. Ray is also a enthusiastic practitioner of Mindfulness (Monash University) and very passionate about promoting healthy eating (University of Aberdeen).
www.rayoflight.online