Stress May Cost Businesses Millions, But the Costs to the Sufferer are Far Worse

Governements and businesses have regularly highlighted the costs of stress to them in monetary terms. The real cost is the affect on the lives of the people who suffer from it.

It's impact

An individual's life can be enormously affected by stress expecially when it's excessive and prolonged. Not only their health but their working life, friends and family. The strain can be felt by many.

Unfortunately the sufferer is often not aware of the problem, going through their daily lives in a constant state of anxiety. The very nature of the problem, being the ability to cope, leads many to deny it's there. Working mothers particularly feel this and often suffer in silence.

Stress masterclass

As humans we all need to experience stress. It provides extra alertness to deal with either, situations that require physical exertion and those that need special attention. The body can cope if we allow it to, but that can be difficult in today's world. Stressful events can seem to happen repeatedly and without warning causing stress levels to build and build.

If this continues over weeks or months with no respite, some symptons begin to emerge. The ability to think clearly or logically becomes impaired. There is a struggle to cope with daily activities that were once easy. Further still, sleep is affected making the situation even worse. At this stage the problem must be addressed, for the benefit of the sufferer and those around them.

Coping strategies

There are steps you can take if stress is taking hold. One of them is exercise. When exercising you are using up the stress causing chemicals by doing exactly what they were designed for.

Another strategy is to form a different outlook on the events that occur during the day. Try to manage your time differently and accept you can't do everything. Remember that some things are totally out of your control. Learn to say "no", you can't do everything for everyone. But most of all, ask for help.

Stress as an issue today

These days, stress is becoming more recognised for the real problem it is, people are more willing to accept it. Doctors are aware of it, they know the symptoms and have proven solutions.

Stress in the future though, does not look good, our bodies continue to evolve far slower than our knowledge. Today's lifestyle is more competitive and sedentary than its ever been and this shows no sign of slowing. Our only hope is for our more evolved knowledge to someday bring more evolved treatments.

By Simon Gould author of http://www.fitnessbegin.com/ - Fitness, health and weight loss... Explained!