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Vagus Nerve Massage For Stress And Anxiety Relief
stress
Need to reduce work-related stress? It’s a walk in the park
Study from the University of Tsukuba finds that taking regular walks in forests and greenspaces may be connected with workers’ stress-coping abilities
Work causes so much stress that it’s become a global public health issue. Stress’s impact on mental and physical health can also hurt productivity and result in economic loss. A new study now finds that working people who regularly take walks in forests or greenspaces may have higher stress-coping abilities.
In a study published in Public Health in Practice, researchers led by Professor Shinichiro Sasahara at the University of Tsukuba analyzed workers’ “sense of coherence” (SOC) scores, demographic attributes, and their forest/greenspace walking habits. SOC comprises the triad of meaningfulness (finding a sense of meaning in life), comprehensibility (recognizing and understanding stress), and manageability (feeling equipped to deal with stress). Studies have found factors such as higher education and being married can strengthen SOC, while smoking and not exercising can weaken it. People with strong SOC also have greater resilience to stress.
The study used survey data on more than 6,000 Japanese workers between 20 and 60 years old. It found stronger SOC among people who regularly took walks in forests or greenspaces.
“SOC indicates mental capacities for realizing and dealing with stress,” Professor Sasahara says. “With workplace stress as a focal issue, there’s a clear benefit in identifying everyday activities that raise SOC. It seems we may have found one.”
People find comfort in nature, and in countries like Japan urban greenspaces are increasing in popularity where nature isn’t readily accessible. This means many workers in cities can easily take a walk among the trees.
The researchers divided the survey respondents into four groups based on their frequency of forest/greenspace walking. Then, they compared their walking activity against attributes such as age, income, and marital status, and with the respondents’ SOC scores, which were grouped as weak, middle, and strong.
Those with strong SOC showed a significant correlation with both forest and greenspace walking at least once a week. This key finding implies the greater benefits of urban greening–not just environmental, but also socioeconomic.
“Our study suggests that taking a walk at least once a week in a forest or greenspace can help people have stronger SOC,” explains Professor Sasahara. “Forest/greenspace walking is a simple activity that needs no special equipment or training. It could be a very good habit for improving mental health and managing stress.”
Stressed on Both Sides of The Pond: How Do UK and US Stress Rates Compare?
The UK and US might be a considerable distance apart, with differing everyday cultures. But we do have one thing in common: stress! Stress has become associated with the workplace more and more in recent years, with many people feeling worn down by the demands of 9-5 office life. In the UK, four out of five of those who work in an office said that they had experienced burnout, a notorious epidemic which comes as a result of stress. Across the pond in America, 83% of American employees said that they had experienced work-related stress, and this statistic has increased steadily in the past few years.
Whether it is expressed during a workplace rant over a morning coffee, or by taking to Twitter to voice our frustrations, it seems that many of us are relatively open when it comes to admitting that we are stressed. So, considering the above, we’ve analysed data from Babylon Health on some major towns and cities in the UK and US, ranking them on how many ‘stressed out’ tweets had been sent in each location. The tweets are recorded on the premise that they contained words relating to frustration, stress and anxiety, with over 5 million global posts being assessed against the stress-ometer.
Stress: quintessentially British?
Imagine a typical British businessman and you’re likely to conjure up a certain image. Crisp white men’s shirts, juggling a briefcase and a takeout coffee in hand, searching for a spot with enough signal to tap into the morning’s conference call. Most businessmen try to convey a vibe of consistency and composure, but the reality for many is a gruelling workload and weekly hours which stretch far beyond 5 o’clock. Business etiquette is taken rather seriously, but the fact that over 11 million days are lost due to stress from UK businesses each year should be prioritised.
The UK has plenty of major cities which are notorious for business culture, but what is perhaps most surprising is the fact that many of the places we associate with the hustle and bustle of business didn’t rank notably high in terms of stressed-out tweets.
The first large city to rank in the Babylon Health study was Cardiff, with 11.97% of tweets recorded as being stress related. Over the border in Scotland, 10.43% of all tweets analysed in Glasgow were stress related, and this fell to 9.19% in Edinburgh. Cross the Irish sea and arrive in Northern Ireland’s bustling business hub of Belfast, where only 9.24% of tweets fell into the ‘stressed’ category. Most surprisingly amongst the stats is London, and the average amount of stressed tweets across all boroughs including the central district was 8.63% — considering that the city generates 22% of the UK’s overall GDP. This is notably lower than the figure for the city of London alone, which stands at 7.05%. More than 400,000 daily commuters flow through the central area, but they appear to be tweeting less about their daily stresses while they are commuting or at work. The figure for the boroughs excluding the central zone is 8.68%, suggesting that the stressed tweets are far freer flowing once workers have returned home for the day.
The finding from the most stressed UK counties revealed some surprises — with North Yorkshire (10.07%) and Worcestershire (10.56%) and Cumbria (8.65%) all in the top half of the results table. In Cornwall, Devon and West Sussex, the most stressful day of the week according to the data was Saturday, while residents in Norfolk, Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and Shropshire all falling victim to the more conventional Monday stress woes.
The United States of stress?
In the USA, nearly $300 billion is lost annually as a result of workplace stress, and only a mere 43% of employees believe that their employers care about the welfare of their wider workforce. We’ve taken a look at the US social media stress plight, and there are some equally interesting results from our American counterparts.
While the West Coast of America is known most for its laid back, low key approach to everyday life, and the East Coast a polar opposite to this, the social media stress results served up some unexpected results! Along the West Coast, California topped the table as the most stressed state with Chula Vista (12.03%), Bakersfield (11.96%), Stockton (11.91%) and Santa Ana (11.89%) all generating quite the opposite image of California, going against the stereotype of the ultra-relaxed, sun-kissed workforce — worlds apart from commuters as they surge through Grand Central Station pouring out onto the New York streets.
Overall, the sunshine state of Florida had the most stressed city, with 13.03% stressed tweets coming from the area. The home of congress and a hub for American politics, Washington DC was surprisingly less stressed than those on the West Coast, hitting only 9.66% on the social media stress-o-meter! The most stressed out state was Alaska (11.69%), which also comes as a surprise due to the vast, tranquil expanse of land that it encompasses.
Lessening workplace stress
No matter what side of the Atlantic you live on, if you’re feeling stressed then there are ways to tackle workplace woes. From introducing a calming, new interior décor scheme, to having an office dog, there are ways to combat those everyday challenges. Changing the nature of your office space is also a great place to start, and many people concentrate better in an environment which stimulates or engages them. Through simple touches such as indoor plants or wall prints to name a few, you can create a space which is more appealing to work in.
Many modern offices have dedicated breakout spaces for employees, where they can take a break away from the screen, allowing them some down time. Employees perform best under individual circumstances, and there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach for the working day. These spaces can facilitate a few minutes for simply processing information or catching up with colleagues, or alternatively they could promote effective, collaborative work.
Keeping your staff fit and healthy is also important and investing in their wellbeing should be paramount. From introducing standing desks to employing a cycle to work scheme or a gym membership perk, letting your employees feel at their best while also promoting the release of stress-busting endorphins — simply by getting active!
While stress might seem part and parcel of many roles nowadays, it shouldn’t have to be this way. Focus should certainly be placed on helping employees to combat this attitude effectively. Employee welfare is an important provision to have in place, whether you offer counselling sessions or stress-busting initiatives such as staff activities, flexible hours, and work from home days. Experiencing stress is inevitable from time to time. But placing value in employee welfare should be a priority for businesses. It’s also essential for workers to address any 9-5 stresses and approach them wisely, as a social media rant doesn’t always pay its dividends!
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Does the cold weather make your brain fog or fibro fog better or worse? Find out what others think here…………..
Cognitive dysfunction (also called brain fog , fibro fog or clouding of consciousness) was a big topic in the early days of Patient Talk.
Brain fog
And at the same time we were also interested in the impact of the reasons ( and the weather) on pain levels. You can see the results of our poll on the subject here.
So I was very interested when Kelly asked “Since the weather has changed to cold, my cognitive function is getting way worse, where I can’t get words out of mouth. Does anyone else experience this the cold?” in our Multiple Sclerosis group yesterday morning.
The feedback was very interesting.
Tracet replied “Yes. Does anyone else have trouble getting people to understand this happens to you? I think people are starting to assume I’m just an idiot, even after explaining cognitive dysfunction.”
For Roberto it is the other way round ” I experience this but it happens when the weather gets warm”.
” Definitely far worse with the cold, I like the heat, thought I was strange as the ‘norm’ is the opposite. I practise Bikram Yoga in the heat which helps me a lot, my neurologist freaked when I told her, but now she thinks its wonderful!” was Brendan’s suggestion.
But for Kristine “I love all the seasons. snow and sun are both fun! Humidity is my killer…”.
No the other hand for Charlene ” For me it is the extreme weather. Extreme cold and heat both make it worse. Of course extreme is a relative term! Lol extreme heat is like 80 and extreme cold is like below 45. Lol”.
But for some ” Doesn’t matter what season it is my mind is one purr muddle I nix up words loose train if thought an forgot what a conversation is I stair in to space like no one is home …but hay I can’t argue with anyone as I forget what has made me mad !!! The joys hay”
So what about you?
Even better could you share your story in the comments section below.
Cognitive dysfunction refers to the loss of intellectual functions such as reasoning, memory , and general thinking which together impair day to day living.. People with brain fog have difficulty with verbal recall, basic arithmetic, and overall concentration.
It can be caused by a variety of medical conditions which include multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia (hence the term fibro fog), lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, hypothyroidism, Lyme’s disease and stress. What is interesting , at least to me, is how many of these disorders are auto-immune conditions.
Many thanks in advance for all your help!
Kinetic Sand For Autism? It has been a lifesaver for our son on the spectrum
Kinetic Sand For Autism? Our son loves his sand so do try it! From the Aspie Girl Great for Stress and Anxiety