Interesting.
A new survey, which concentrated on 2,000 people, has found that 36 is the age at which the average adult feels the most stress.
The research, commissioned by A.Vogel, found that being late/running out of time causes people the most stress, followed by health issues with either yourself or family members.
The worry of getting stuck in traffic daily was also a cause of stress cited by many of the people surveyed.
Other problem causing stress included deadlines, money worries, weight gain, cold calls and debt.
Speaking about how our bodies deal with stress, Dr. Margaret Ritchie, Associate Lecturer, the University of the West of Scotland explained:
“When our bodies experience stress, especially ongoing stress which the survey highlights, it affects the biochemistry and simply put, causes inflammation that impacts on our immunity resulting in our body being more susceptible to flu and colds as winter settles in”.
The study found that 81% of people are so stressed, they’ve lost sleep over it, coming in at an average of five nights’ lost shut-eye every month.
In addition, 62% of people found that stress negatively impacted their health, with 31% having to take time off from work, one in four quitting their jobs as a result of stress and 31% explaining that stress caused them to make a work-related error.
Stress also shows in relationships, with 45% saying it led to arguments with their partners.
As for how stress manifests itself, 67% said that they suffered physical symptoms of stress including headaches, stomach discomfort, colds, skin flare-ups and sore throats.
With all this frightening stress-related data piling up, one wonders how on earth you’re meant to manage the stress?
Psychologist, Dr. Megan Arroll recommends practising the following breathing exercises:
“Deep breathing through the diaphragm will trigger the parasympathetic nervous system and bring the body and mind back into balance following stress. Breathe in slowly for a count of 3 and then exhale for a count of 3. When you inhale make sure that your stomach rises rather than your chest, then your tummy should dip on the exhale.
“It’s useful also to repeat the word ‘calm’ during this breathing exercise. Do this daily so that it becomes a habit”.
Dr Arroll also emphasises the importance of saying no when things become too much:
“Stress can be a result of overburdening ourselves so don’t feel you need to do everything, all the time , prioritise yourself as it’s impossible to care for others if you’re burnt out. We are often better at showing understanding and compassion to pretty much anyone else but ourselves so
We are often better at showing understanding and compassion to pretty much anyone else but ourselves so practise being kind to you. This means saying no, having some rest time and perhaps most importantly, not berating ourselves for trivial matters. We all have an inner critic but this voice can be dampened by self-compassion”.
