We all know that too much stress hurts our health, our relationships, and our productivity at work. The good news: New research reveals that controlling stress is easier than you thought
THESE DAYS, stress is even more rampant than it was in 1983, when Time magazine declared it to be "the epidemic of the eighties:' Stress is growing: According to a survey by CareerBuilder, an on-line recruitment site, the overall percentage of worker stress increased by 10% between August 2001 and May 2002. And stress hurts the bottom line: In 1999, a study of 46,000 workers published by the Health Enhancement Research Organization, or HERO, revealed that health care costs are 14796 higher for those individuals who are stressed or depressed, independent of other health issues.[1] The study, which included employees from Chevron, Hoffman-La Roche, Health Trust, Marriott, and the states of Michigan and Tennessee, also found that health care costs generated by stress and depression exceeded those stemming from diabetes and heart disease both stress-related illnesses.
But what exactly is stress? Generally speaking, "stress" refers to two simultaneous events: an external stimulus called a stressor, and the emotional and physical responses to that stimulus (fear, anxiety, surging heart rate and blood pressure, fast breathing, muscle tension, and so on). Good stresses (a ski run, a poetry contest) inspire you to achieve.
In common parlance, though, stress usually refers to our internal reaction to negative, threatening, or worrisome situations-a looming performance report, a dismissive colleague, rush-hour traffic, and so on. Accumulated over time, negative stress can depress you, burn you out, make you sick, or even kill you. This is because, as our research shows, negat ...