Mastering Stress

JANETTE ISAACS, JEMI HEALTH AND WELLNESS

In recent years we have come to realize the importance of controlling stress in our lives. Let’s face it, there are numerous stressors in our world daily, like driving to and from work, meeting work deadlines while having to work with difficult personalities, finding that parking spot as near as possible to the mall entrance, preparing for graduation, or a wedding, whatever the event; there is a certain amount of stress that tags along with it.

One may ask, why is it important to control stress in our lives? Studies confirm that stress increases our chances of developing diseases, increases work absenteeism, leads to relationship difficulties and interpersonal strain and also increases the risk for increased alcohol consumption, coffee intake and cigarette smoking. Not learning ways to deal with stress can “cost” you and I in ways like- loss of money, increased healthcare costs, increase in medical claims costs and indirect costs associated with missed work, relationship issues, divorce and accidents

So, Let’s Begin to Manage Our Stress

The goal of stress management is not to eliminate stress (this will never happen), but rather to reduce stress to a manageable level so that we apply techniques that are guaranteed to help you and I “not sweat the small stuff!”

Laugh and the world laughs with you. Have you ever considered how profound that simple statement is? There is perhaps no better way to bring people together than with laughter. And, believe it or not, there are many health benefits associated with a good belly laugh. Laughter has the potential to:

• Enhance your intake of oxygen-rich air Stimulate your muscles, heart and lungs
• Boost your immune system
• Relieve pain
• Make difficult situations a little easier to cope with

With so many potential health benefits associated with laughter, why aren’t we all laughing more? If you allow yourself to laugh, you just might reap some real health benefits!