Dealing with stress in a proactive way is crucial to help manage your health
Many of us are time poor and find it difficult to juggle the demands of work commitments with our personal lives. Dealing with stress in a proactive way is crucial to help manage your health.
Talking about what is causing stress is a great way to help alleviate it. Stress can cloud judgement and prevent us seeing things clearly, talking with someone close, or a trained professional, can help lessen the burden.
Our survey found that 70% of respondents first choice is to talk to family and friends when they are feeling stressed
of female respondents chose to talk with family and friends when stressed
Only 63% of male respondents said the same.
Although the majority of respondents will talk to family and friends when stressed, only 6% choose to talk to a health professional.
Increasingly companies are providing their staff with access to an Employee Assistance Program, a service which can help employees resolve personal or work-related concerns. By utilising these services more, employees may be better able to cope with stress in an effective manner.
When compared by age, younger respondents in the age range 18-25 stated they were less likely to talk to family and friends when feeling stressed.
of this age group also said they would ‘curl up in bed’ on days when they felt stressed.
Neither is a recommended way to deal effectively with stress and may signal difficulty in coping effectively with stress in later years with evolving work and family pressures.
More than 50% of respondents choose exercise as a stress reliever.
Exercise is a very effective way to deal with stress. Through exercise, serotonin and endorphins are released which help restore the body and mind to a calmer, more relaxed state.
of survey respondents told us that they exercise at least once per week
12% are doing no exercise of all. Our survey found that twice as many females as males never exercise.
Older people are more prone to exercise as a stress reliever
Only 41% of respondents in the age range 18-25 would choose exercise compared to 59% of those aged between 46-55.
Eating a balanced diet will help maintain energy levels and control mood swings, however, eating to satisfy emotional needs will not alleviate stress.
of respondents are choosing to comfort eat when they feel stressed
of female respondents would choose to comfort eat compared to 31% of male respondents
Equally split across age profile
Stress Management Tips
• Identify stressors • Eat a balanced diet • Practice mindfulness • Practice controlled breathing • Get adequate sleep • Learn to prioritise • Exercise regularly • Talk with others
