The New Year brings new hopes, goals, changes, and resolutions. A common resolution when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve is to lose weight and get fit. Additionally, it is a resolution I adopted myself. As most people know, obesity is a major health concern in America today. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 30 percent of U.S. adults 20 years of age and older are obese.
Although these are staggering numbers, a much more common, yet overlooked health issue affects all of us. Stress is the cause of 75-90 percent of all primary care physician visits according to the American Institute of Stress (AIS). These even more staggering numbers reveal stress as American’s number one health problem.
The moment this became an all-important topic to me was the year that I experienced the impact of stress within my own family. My otherwise healthy brother landed in a Midwest hospital emergency room with severe chest pain. The unsuspecting victim was a 45 year old successful businessman, dedicated husband, father, long-term athlete and baseball coach. Professionally, he had labored under significant stress for years. The effects of prolonged and ignored symptoms of stress resulted in chest pain that even morphine could not relieve. Fortunately, after a myriad of testing and analysis, he was released from the hospital.
My brother faced a critical choice point that could no longer be ignored: continue with his status-quo life leading to further health deterioration or take steps to eliminate and manage hazardous stress in his life. We are wired to react to stress with a fight or flight response. The pre-wired response is beneficial and productive when external stimuli threaten to harm us. However, we were not built to endure long term negative stress. Over time, stress manifests itself and results in physical symptoms and health concerns.
The demand to work more hours, complete more tasks and adhere to pressing deadlines contribute to our nation’s plague of escalating stress. According to the Harris Poll which has been tracking America’s leisure time since 1973, the median number of leisure hours available each week dropped 20% in 2008, from 20 hours in 2007, to an all-time low of only 16 hours this year. Our generation is especially pressed for time and has fewer leisure hours than ever. Working long and hard, our tendency is to take very little time to refuel and revitalize ourselves. The chronic grind takes its toll if left unchecked.
It is far too common these days to accept stress as inevitable. The affect of this complacency is alarming and directly affects longevity and quality of life. What will it take to honestly evaluate your stress level and the physical effects it is taking on your own life? If you are willing, it is possible to manage stress with creative options and intentional skills.
The thought of stepping back and taking a good hard look can feel overwhelming. Here are some recommended ways to honestly evaluate your current stress level and visualize ways to change it.
Identify Options:
o Identify where your daily activities align with overall life values and priorities
o Develop agreements to reduce distractions, interruptions and irritants in your life
o Simplify life and eliminate “should do’s”
o Hire out/delegate beyond your comfort level
Develop Skills:
o Build systems of efficiency
o Honor personal values and priorities – set boundaries
o Manage energy to maximize results
o Learn to say “no”
Like anything in life, stress level is largely dependent upon individual choice points. A decision to change or to stay the same each has its own consequences. A choice made to value and respect health overall will result in benefits for you and your family. Resolve today to take control of your well-being and initiate measures to reduce the stresses in your life.
For more information on Stress, visit the American Institute of Stress at http://www.stress.org.
