Stress at work

Even “dream jobs” have stressful deadlines, performance expectations, and other responsibilities. For some, stress is the
motivator that ensures things get done. However, workplace stress can easily overwhelm your life. You may continually worry about a particular project, feel unfairly treated by a supervisor or co-workers, or knowingly accept more than you can handle in hopes of earning a
promotion. Putting your job ahead of everything else can also affect your personal relationships, compounding the work-related pressures.

Layoffs, restructuring, or management changes can heighten anxiety about your job security. In fact, a Norwegian study showed that the mere rumor of a factory’s closure caused rapid increases in workers’ pulse and blood pressure. Research in the U.S. has found that workplace injuries and accidents tend to increase in organizations that are being downsized.

The body reacts

Along with its emotional toll, prolonged job-related stress can drastically affect your physical health. Constant preoccupation with
job responsibilities often leads to erratic eating habits and not enough exercise, resulting in weight problems, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels.

Common job stressors such as perceived low rewards, a hostile work environment, and long hours can also accelerate the onset of heart disease, including the likelihood of heart attacks.
This is particularly true for blue-collar and manual workers. Studies suggest that because these employees tend to have little control over their work environments, they are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those in traditional “white collar” jobs.

Your age is also a factor. A University of Utah study found that as stressed workers get older, their blood pressure increases above normal levels. Interestingly, many of the study’s over-60 workers reported that they did not feel upset or unduly pressured by their jobs, even though their blood pressure levels were significantly
higher.

A loss of mental energy

Job stress also frequently causes burnout, a condition marked
by emotional exhaustion and negative or cynical attitudes
toward others and yourself.

Burnout can lead to depression, which, in turn, has been linked to a variety of other health concerns such as heart disease and stroke,
obesity and eating disorders, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. Chronic depression also reduces your immunity to other types of illnesses, and can even contribute to premature death.

What you can do

Fortunately, there are many ways to help manage job-related stress. Some programs blend relaxation techniques with nutrition and
exercise. Others focus on specific issues such as time management, assertiveness training, and improving social skills.

A qualified psychologist can help you pinpoint the causes of your
stress, and develop appropriate coping strategies.

Here are some other tips for dealing with stress
on the job:

Make the most of workday breaks.
Even 10 minutes of “personal time” will refresh your mental outlook. Take a brief walk, chat with a co-worker about a non-job
topic, or simply sit quietly with your eyes closed and breathe.
If you feel angry, walk away.Mentally regroup by counting to 10, then look at the situation again. Walking and other
physical activities will also help you work off steam.
Set reasonable standards for yourself and others. Don’t expect perfection. Talk to your employer about your job description. Your responsibilities and performance criteria may not accurately reflect what you are doing. Working
together to make needed changes will not only benefit your emotional and physical health, but also improve the organization’s overall productivity.

Source: The American Psychological Association – The American Psychological Association Practice Directorate gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Sara Weiss, Ph.D., and Nancy Molitor, Ph.D., in developing this fact sheet.

A healthy lifestyle can go a long way toward reducing the risk of heart disease or managing a diagnosed condition, even if you face a higher risk due to uncontrollable factors such as age, sex, or family history. But making changes in your daily life is not always easy. You may sense a loss of control over your life in having to give up favorite foods, make time for exercise in a busy schedule, or take regular medication.
It also takes personal discipline to ingrain these new habits into your lifestyle. Deviating from a prescribed diet or sneaking a cigarette when no one is looking may satisfy an immediate craving, but it won’t achieve the long-term goal of improved health.

Coping with life’s pressures

Heart disease has many other mind-body connections that you should consider. Prolonged stress due to the pressures at home, on the job, or from other sources can contribute to abnormally high blood pressure and circulation problems. As with many other diseases, the effects vary from person to person. Some people use stress as a motivator while others may “snap” at the slightest issue.

How you handle stress also influences how your cardiovascular system responds. Studies have shown that if stress makes you angry or irritable, you’re more likely to have heart disease or a heart attack. In fact, the way you respond to stress may be a greater risk factor for heart problems than smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

A downward spiral

Then there’s depression, the persistent feeling of sadness and despair that can isolate you from the rest of the world. In its severest form, clinical depression, this condition can not only increase the risk of heart disease but also worsen an existing condition.

Research shows that while approximately 20 percent of us experience an episode of depression in our lifetimes, the figure climbs to 50 percent among people with heart disease. Long-term studies reveal that men and women diagnosed with clinical depression are more than twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease or suffer a heart attack. In addition, heart patients are three times as likely to be depressed at any given time than the population as a whole.

And happy people have healthier levels of fibrinogen and cortisol in their blood, making them less vulnerable to cardiovascular disease and other ailments.

Left untreated, depression can put you at substantially greater risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. In fact, clinically depressed people are twice as more likely to suffer a heart attack as long as 10 years after the initial depressive episode.
The struggle to rebound

Depression can also complicate the aftermath of a heart attack, stroke, or invasive procedure such as open-heart surgery. The immediate shock of coming so close to death is compounded by the prospect of a long recuperation, as well as the fear that another, potentially more serious event could occur without warning.
The result is often feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation, and diminished self-esteem. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), up to 65 percent of coronary heart disease patients with a history of heart attack experience various forms of depression. Though such emotions are not unusual, they should be addressed as quickly as possible. Major depression can complicate the recovery process and actually worsen your condition. Prolonged depression in patients with cardiovascular disease has been shown to contribute to subsequent heart attacks and strokes.
What you can do

Although heart disease is a serious condition that requires constant monitoring, there are many things you can do to reduce your risk for cardiovascular problems and live a full, active life, even if you should suffer a heart attack.

- Talk to your doctor. No two people are alike, and some treatment or risk reduction strategies may be inappropriate or even harmful if you attempt to do too much too quickly.
- Avoid trying to fix every problem at once, if possible. Focus instead on changing one existing habit (e.g., eating habits, inactive lifestyle). Set a reasonable initial goal and work toward meeting it.
- Don’t ignore the symptoms of depression. Feelings of sadness or emptiness, loss of interest in ordinary or pleasurable activities, reduced energy, and eating and sleep disorders are just a few of depression’s many warning signs. If they persist for more than two weeks, discuss these issues with your heart doctor. It may be that a psychologist working in collaboration with your physician would be beneficial.
- Identify the sources of stress in your life and look for ways to reduce and manage them. Seeing a professional like a psychologist to learn to manage stress is helpful not only for preventing heart disease, but also for speeding recovery from heart attacks when used along with structured exercise programs and other intensive lifestyle changes.
- Enlist the support of friends, family, and work associates. Talk with them about your condition and what they can do to help. Social support is particularly critical for overcoming feelings of depression and isolation during recovery from a heart attack.
- If you feel overwhelmed by the challenge of managing the behaviors associated with heart disease, consult a qualified psychologist. He or she can help develop personal strategies for setting and achieving reasonable health improvement goals, as well as building on these successes to accomplish other more ambitious objectives. A psychologist can also help clarify the diagnosis of depression and work with the physician to devise a suitable treatment program.

Source: The American Psychological Association – The American Psychological Association Practice Directorate gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Sara Weiss, Ph.D., and Nancy Molitor, Ph.D., in developing this fact sheet.

Mind/Body Health

Psychological studies show that your mind and your body are strongly linked. As your mental health declines, your physical health can wear down, and if your physical health declines, it can make you feel mentally “down.” A positive outlook can help keep you healthy.

Did you know: Behavior and Health

80 percent of Americans say that during the past few years they have become more aware of how their mental health and emotions can affect their physical health (APA 2005)

Two-thirds of all office visits to family physicians are due to stress-related symptoms (American Academy of Family Physicians)

43 percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress (“The Stress Solution: An Action Plan to Manage the Stress in Your Life”, Lyle H. Miller, Ph.D., and Alma Dell Smith, Ph.D.)

93 percent of Americans say that perceptions, thoughts, and choices affects physical health (APA 2005)

58 percent of Americans believe that one can’t have good physical health without good mental health (APA 2005)

High levels of hostility have been found to predict heart disease more often than high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, or obesity (Health Psychology, November 2002)

Men high in optimism were less than half as likely to develop heart disease than were the more pessimistic men (Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study)

64 percent of Americans said they are taking steps to reduce the level of stress in their lives(APA 2005)

More than 1/3 of Americans say they have had an illness that was primarily caused by stress (APA 2005)

86 percent of respondents to a 2005 APA survey on the mind/body connection said that a comprehensive physical exam should include
some discussion of their emotional state and well-being.

Employees receiving mental health counseling lowered the usage of medical insurance by 31 percent(Group Health Association)

Did you know: Behavior and Longevity

Research supports the idea that having a positive outlook can extend one’s life (“Emotional Longevity: What Really Determines How Long You Live,” Norman B. Anderson and Elizabeth P. Anderson, 2003)

Work-related stress can double one’s risk of dying from heart disease (British Medical Journal, 2002)

Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death – heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. (“The Stress Solution: An Active Plan to Manage the Stress in Your Life,” Lyle H. Miller, Ph.D. and Alma Dell Smith, Ph.D.)

People with high levels of anxiety can have between two to seven times the risk of heart disease. (“Emotional Longevity: What Really Determines How Long You Live,” Norman B. Anderson and Elizabeth P. Anderson, 2003)

Did you know: Behavior and Productivity

Workplace stress causes approximately one million U.S. employees to miss work each day (American Institute of Stress)

Stress causes American industry more than $300 billion annually in lost hours due to absenteeism, reduced productivity and workers compensation benefits (The American Institute of Stress)

More than one in four workers have taken a “mental health day” off from work to cope with stress (APA 2005)

More than a third of workers (36 percent) say physical illness and ailments are a cause of stress at work (APA 2005)

Nearly one third of workers say that personal life interfering at work is a significant source of stress (APA 2005)

In 1999, anxiety-related disorders cost the U.S. $42 billion a year in work-related medical losses (National Institute of Mental Health)

Did you know: Physical Health and Psychologists

Consumers report that talk therapy was reportedly more effective than drug therapy for depression and anxiety (Consumer Reports, October 2004)

78 percent of Americans said they would go to a psychologist if he/she could help manage stress (APA 2005)

54 percent of Americans said they would see a psychologist to prevent the day-to-day stress that can build up from becoming a problem (APA 2005)

68 percent of Americans said they would visit a psychologist to deal with physical symptoms that are emotional in nature (APA 2005)

Source: The American Psychological Association

Cold and flu season…the holidays around the corner…back to school and work. There’s a lot to be stressed about at this time of year, but it helps to know how your mind and your body can work to support each other.

Did you know:

• 93 percent of Americans say that perceptions, thoughts, and choices affect physical health (APA national poll, 2005)
• Two-thirds of all office visits to family physicians are due to stress-related symptoms (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• 58 percent of Americans believe that one can’t have good physical health without good mental health (APA national poll, 2005)
• High levels of hostility have been found to predict heart disease more often than high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, or obesity (Health Psychology, November 2002)
• More than 1/3 of Americans say they have had an illness that was primarily caused by stress (APA national poll, 2005)
• Research supports the idea that having a positive outlook can extend one’s life (Emotional Longevity: What Really Determines How Long You Live, Norman B. Anderson and Elizabeth P. Anderson, 2003)

Increasingly, we’re discovering the mind/body health connection. But even though we know the two are linked, Americans are still more likely to seek help for the mind only in cases of depression or suicidal thoughts. People turn to diet after diet rather than deal with the emotional issues that lead them to overeat. They’ll treat the physical ailment that may have been forestalled if they’d sought help for the stress that preceded the illness.

Here are some groups who want to change that thinking:

• American Council on Exercise
• American Institute of Stress
• American Occupational Therapy Association
• American Public Health Association
• Association for Community Health Improvement
• Health Enhancement Research OrganizationInternational Association of Fire Fighters
• International City/County Management Association
• The Mind/Body Medical Institute
• National Association of County and City Health Officials
• National Athletic Trainers’ Association
• National Civic League
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Fitness Therapy Association
• National Women’s Health Resource Center
• Partnership for Prevention

Source: The American Psychological Association