Workplace stress is something all too many people are familiar with and even dread.  Numerous studies show that workplace stress is the major source of stress for adults in America.  Increased job stress is associated with having little to no control over the high demands placed on individuals.  These type of demands have been shown to increase heart attacks, hypertension and other health concerns.  When surveyed, 80 percent of workers feel stress on the job, and nearly half of these individuals report that they need help learning how to manage that stress. (1)

80 percent of employees feel the impact of workplace stress, nearly half admit that they need help managing this stress

It is important to learn how to manage workplace stress.  Many people are unable to walk away from a job that is stressful due to reliance on income and benefits.  While you can’t control everything in your work environment, this does not mean you are powerless.  First, it is important to accept responsibility for your physical and emotional wellbeing.  This means that you increase self care during periods of intense stress to better prepare your body to manage the stress.  Avoid pitfalls by identifying negative habits and attitudes that increase stress at work.  These pitfalls can be things such as negative thinking patterns, workplace gossip sessions, or passive aggressive statements or actions.  Learning healthy assertive communication skills will help improve your relationships with coworkers and administration, and empower you to speak your thoughts in a healthy way while minimizing consequences. (2)

Mindfulness-based interventions decrease fight or flight response in members of surgical intensive care unit

A recent study explored the impact of mindfulness-based interventions and workplace stress.  Members of a surgical intensive care unit completed an 8 week group mindfulness-based intervention that included mindfulness, gentle stretching, yoga, meditation, and music.  Psychological and biological markers of stress were measured one week before and one week after the intervention. (3)

The results showed that levels of salivary [alpha]-amylase, which triggers the fight or flight response, were significantly decreased from the first to second assessments.  The control group that received no mindfulness intervention showed no changes. (3)

“Our study shows that this type of mindfulness-based intervention in the workplace could decrease stress levels and the risk of burnout,” said author, Maryanna Klatt. (3)

She adds, “What’s stressful about the work environment is never going to change. But what we were interested in changing was the nursing personnel’s reaction to those stresses. We measured salivary alpha amylase, which is a biomarker of the sympathetic nervous system activation, and that was reduced by 40 percent in the intervention group.” (3)

For those that participated in the intervention, the levels of stress at their jobs did not change, but their ability to manage this stress in a healthy way did change. (3)

If you find yourself experiencing symptoms such as irritability, nervousness, difficulty concentrating, changes in appetite, sleep, heart rate and blood pressure, it may be time to consider improving your stress management techniques.  Empower yourself, be intentional and believe that it is possible to remain healthy in a stressful environment.(3)

Sources for this article include:

(1) www.stress.org
(2) www.helpguide.org
(3) www.sciencedaily.com

Image source: flic.kr

Article originally published on RawFoodWorld.com republished with permission