Stress, Stress, STRESS!

Five Tips to take the Stress Out of Your Life

by Dr. Kathleen Hall, Ph.D.

February 6, 2008

 

When we used to say stress would be the epidemic of the 21st century, people would laugh. Yet today, 90 percent of visits to primary care physicians are stress-related. Stress is the number one disability in the world, and as Americans, it’s time to start taking responsibility for our health.

Recent studies, however, show that many Americans are not taking steps to reduce their stress and improve their work-life balance. A Harris Interactive poll sponsored by Bahama Breeze’s Take Back Your Vacation movement found that nearly half of Americans, 44 percent, do not plan to use all of their vacation days this year. The survey also found that the main reason for this “vacation deficit disorder” is finances, 46 percent, followed by work-related pressures, 30 percent. In the survey, finances were named as the overall greatest source of stress by 35 percent of U.S. adults.

But, you can start reclaiming the balance that is missing in your life by reaping the benefits of your unused vacation time. Here are five tips to
get you started:

1. Schedule mini-vacations (read more...)

2. Eat mindfully (read more...)

3. Stay connected socially with family and friends (read more...)

4. Create rituals in your life (read more...)

5. Laugh as often as possible (read more...)

Dr. Kathleen Hall is an internationally recognized stress and work-life balance expert and author of A Life in Balance: Nourishing the Four Roots of True Happiness and Alter Your Life: Overbooked? Overworked? Overwhelmed?. She is the founder and director of The Stress Institute, based in Atlanta.