RSSNewsletterSiteMapFeedback

Home · Weather · Forum · Learning Chinese · Jobs · Shopping
Search This Site
China | International | Business | Government | Environment | Olympics/Sports | Travel/Living in China | Culture/Entertainment | Books & Magazines | Health
Home / Health / News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Why stress is good for you
Adjust font size:

Just put in a stressful 60-hour week? Some people would say that's a good thing - and not just your slave-driver boss. In fact, while almost three-quarters of employees admit to being stressed at work, more than half think that this is by no means a problem. Not only is stress at work conductive to quality performance, they say - it even aids relaxation once you've clocked off for the day.

Considering the current emphasis on work-life balance, the results of research from financial recruiter Elements are surprising - particularly the finding that staff see putting in long hours and meeting tight deadlines as a sign they are doing well at work. So much for the ideal of the happy employee, managing their time and workload effectively. It appears that for many, to be a successful employee is to be stressed employee, battling against the clock.

But neurotic workers and unscrupulous employers aside, could there be something in the idea that stress can actually be good for work satisfaction, and even health? Perhaps. Research from the universities of Kentucky and British Columbia has showed that moderate amounts of stress can actually strengthen the immune system and be good for health.

Short bursts of stress - of the type fuelled by a job interview, or an intimidating presentation - trigger a boost to the immune system (thought to relate to the primeval "fight or flight" response).

When primeval humans encountered such circumstances, the immune boost would have been useful to protect them against infection from whatever injury might have been sustained by the stressful encounter. And the natural heightening of immunity is still a useful health benefit.

But there is an obvious caveat to these findings. The Kentucky- British Columbia study emphasized the positive role of controlled bursts of stress, rather than of perpetual, unavoidable pressure. If strain on an individual becomes a long-term and inescapable aspect of a person's job, the effects become negative - including lowered immunity and an increased risk of illness.

Balancing your employment so that any stressful episodes remain just that - episodes - can be difficult. But according to Professor Graham Jones, co-author with Olympic gold medal winning swimmer Adrian Moorhouse of Developing Mental Toughness, it is possible to train yourself to deal with stressful situations in beneficial rather than debilitating ways.

"Stress takes two forms: acute and chronic," he says. "The former is characterized by bouts of stress interspersed with periods of calm, whereas in the latter the bouts run into one another: You get home from work and are unable to switch off from the things that are frustrating you. You may even lie awake at night worrying.

"This form of stress is not good for you if it occurs over prolonged periods. Acute stress, on the other hand, is not all bad news. In fact, it can help you focus on priorities and mobilize the resources required to perform."

The problem of defining which kinds of stress are good for health and which are bad leads many experts to suggest aiming for as little anxiety as possible.

Doctors, psychologists and trade unions are all quick to point out that stress can have disastrous effects on health - and while a little pressure might be acceptable, the physical consequences of overdoing it are fairly dire.

Overstimulation of the adrenal gland interferes with cortical levels, which can disrupt your waking and sleep patterns. Migraines, hypertension, lowered immunity and depression are just a few of the associated symptoms.

"Too often, the stress we encounter becomes negative," says Tricia Woolfrey, a stress management trainer. Approximately 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004-05, according to the UK Health and Safety Executive, costing about US$7.7 billion every year.

A further study revealed that approximately 420,000 individuals in Britain believed they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill.

But Jones believes that whether stress is a negative or positive thing depends almost entirely on your own perceptions.

"The crucial message about stress is that most of it is self-imposed," he says. "Everybody experiences stress to some degree - even top performers. The difference is, they have identified strategies to control these symptoms and harness their stress to help them perform better. The way you think about pressure determines whether or not you are stressed by it.

"The basic choice you have is between seeing pressure as positive in terms of providing an opportunity or negative in that it poses a threat, resulting in stress and anxiety. The realization that you have a choice is the first step to controlling stress. The second is recognizing the effect stress has on you - and learning to control these effects."

A little stress can be beneficial - for your health and for your career - but working relentlessly against the clock can be mentally and physically destructive. And your wellbeing is certainly more important than your next promotion.

(Agencies via China Daily November 7, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read

Comment
Username Password Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- Office Workers Go to Great Lengths for Stress Relief
- 70% of Chinese White Collar Workers Overworked
- Stress-relief Day Marked in Guangzhou
- Chinese Officials Advised on How to Cope With Stress
- Survey Sheds Light on School Stress
Most Viewed >>
-20 Tumors Removed from 'Elephant Man'
-HPV also blamed for oral cancer in men
-Study: all blue-eyed people have common ancestor
-Better nutrition in childhood, higher pay when grown up
-Medical Service for Foreigners
SiteMap | About Us | RSS | Newsletter | Feedback

Copyright ? China.org.cn. All Rights Reserved E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-88828000 京ICP證 040089號

主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产在线视频一区二区三区| 在厨房里挺进美妇雪臀| 久久综合久久美利坚合众国| 欧美老肥妇BBWBBWBBWPICS| 再深点灬舒服灬太大了快点| 草草影院www色欧美极品| 国产成人涩涩涩视频在线观看免费 | 荡公乱妇hd在线播放| 国产无套在线观看视频| 最新国产你懂的在线网址| 国内少妇人妻丰满AV| 99精品在线免费| 女人18毛片a级毛片免费视频| 中国老熟妇xxxxx| 投资6000能开一个sf吗| 久久五月激情婷婷日韩| 日韩欧美综合视频| 乱中年女人伦av三区| 樱花草在线社区www韩国| 亚洲国产成+人+综合| 欧美日韩国产片| 亚洲欧美另类第一页| 欧美黑人XXXX高潮猛交| 亚洲精彩视频在线观看| 爱情岛永久入口首页| 人妻少妇精品无码专区动漫| 窝窝女人体国产午夜视频| 八戒久久精品一区二区三区| 精品无码成人片一区二区| 双乳奶水被老汉吸呻吟视频 | 久久99精品久久久久久动态图| 日韩一级片网址| 久久精品免费一区二区喷潮| 明星xxxxhdvideos| 久草视频在线资源站| 曰批全过程免费视频网址 | 亚洲熟妇无码久久精品| 波多野结衣一区二区三区88 | 国产肉体XXXX裸体784大胆| 91噜噜噜在线观看| 国产综合免费视频|