Tips to Reduce Stress at Home

As many Americans will attest, "home, sweet home" isn't always a stress-free zone. With April
being Stress Awareness Month, Health Net is offering tips designed to reduce stress at home.
Homegrown stress can be traced to numerous sources – a noisy environment, an unhappy spouse,
financial worries, or even mundane domestic duties such as doing the laundry or mowing the
lawn.

Stress is not a subject to be taken lightly. As Patricia Buss, M.D., medical and health care
services operations officer for Health Net, Inc., explains, "Stress has been linked to a broad range
of psychological and physical disorders."
Symptoms of Stress
Recognizing that you're experiencing stress is the first step toward managing stress. The
following are some common physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms associated with
stress:
 Physical signs – headaches, light-headedness, rapid breathing and heartbeat, sweaty palms, dry
mouth, stomachaches and trouble sleeping or concentrating;
 Emotional signs – depression, anxiety, nightmares, crying spells or feeling unable to cope;
 Behavioral signs – irritability, impatience, anger, aggression, social isolation, lack of energy,
changes in appetite, loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed, boredom, significant
alcohol or drug use and diminished sex drive.
Ten Tips to Make your Home a Haven
Health Net's behavioral health subsidiary, Managed Health Network, Inc., offers the following
strategies designed to help make your home life happier and healthier:
 Express yourself – If you feel in any way mistreated by a member of your household, you
need to speak up and diplomatically express what's bothering you. Doing so can serve to
strengthen your self-esteem while simultaneously lowering your stress level;
 Slim down your schedule – Having an overflowing home to-do list almost invariably leads to
stress. Don't take on too many projects or commitments at once. Learn to prioritize and
say "no;"
 Select a stress-management activity – Find a relaxation-inducing activity and weave it into
your daily routine. Examples include meditating, doing yoga, knitting, listening to music
or gardening;
 Take action – For many people, financial pressures are a major source of stress. Taking action
to address the issue can help you feel more in control of the situation, and this – in turn – could
help lessen your stress. Possible action steps include creating a budget, increasing your savings
and exploring ways to earn more income;
 Accept what you can't control – There are many situations in life that simply are out of our
control, and if you fail to recognize such situations, your stress level is likely to skyrocket. By
 learning to distinguish between those instances in which you can have an impact and those in
which you cannot, you may feel both more productive and less overwhelmed;
 Surround yourself with supportive people – The people you consider to be your "inner
circle" should be sources of solace, not stress. If this isn't the case, it's time to re-examine just
who should be in that circle;
 Get organized – Living in an organized, tidy house – coupled with creating a feasible,
prioritized home to-do list – brings with it a sense of control; and that sense of control may be
accompanied by a decrease in stress. Additionally, by developing a system that corrals
household items – such as keys, sunglasses, and cell phones – you may avoid that frazzled
feeling that comes with constantly being in search mode;
 Make time for fun – Simple activities can make for a home steeped in happiness, not stress.
Consider these simple but fun pastimes – reading to your child, playing with a pet, making a
meal with family or friends;
 Create a personal space – It's important for each of us to have a physical space where we can
spend time away from others. This doesn't have to be a formal space; it can simply be a lounge
chair in the backyard or a couch in the basement – anywhere that enables you to relax and quiet
your thoughts.
 Infuse your home with calm – Your home's physical surroundings can contribute to creating a
sense of calm, so integrate natural elements such as stone, wood and plants. It's also
recommended that walls be painted in cool, calming colors such as light greens and soft blues.
Another suggestion is to integrate soothing lighting by using lamps with dimmer switches.
While stress can never be completely removed from any environment, these tips will help keep
the "sweet" in "home, sweet home."
Medical Advice Disclaimer
The information provided is not intended as medical advice or as a substitute for professional
medical care. Always seek the advice of your physician or other health provider for any
questions you may have regarding your medical condition and follow your health care provider's
instructions.

Check Your Stress: How to Identify and

Reduce the Stress in Your Life
15 JAN 2018

1 COMMENT
Sharing is caring.

Stress is a part of daily life and is only becoming more of a presence in this
increasingly-connected world. This can be a problem, as there are all sorts of
negative physical and psychological effects of leading an overly-stressed life.

This article will discuss some causes of stress and the negative effects that
result from stress. There are also plenty of easy ways to reduce stress and
increase one’s well-being, though, so this article will end on a positive note by
providing actionable ways anyone can reduce stress in their lives.

First, a distinction must be made between positive stress (sometimes called

eustress) and negative stress (sometimes called distress) (Niki, 2016).
Positive stress is healthy stress, such as the stress which pushes us to
prepare for an exam, a job interview, or another important event. Negative
stress, on the other hand, is unhealthy stress, such as stress which leads one
to think they are not good enough for the exam, job interview, or other events
they are preparing for, and does not help their preparation for or performance
on the event.

While both types of stress are important to research and discuss, in this piece
we will focus on negative stress (or distress), the unhealthy stress we face in
our daily lives.

This article contains:

 Stress Harms Us Physically …

 … And Mentally
 What Causes Stress
 Long-Term Effects Go Beyond PTSD
 Women Become More Prosocial, Men Become More Antisocial
 How High Is Your Stress?
 Family, Meditation, and Education as Anti-Stress Treatments
 Know Your Stressors and Avoid Creating Stress for Others
 References
The Positive Psychology Toolkit

Become a Science-Based Practitioner!

The Positive Psychology toolkit is a science-based, online platform containing
135+ exercises, activities, interventions, questionnaires, assessments and
scales.

Stress Harms Us Physically …

While people are often aware of the psychological consequences of leading
an overly-stressed life, there are also a lot of physical symptoms that follow
from too much stress. For example, according to the American Psychological
Association, stress can cause muscle tension, breathing problems, heart
problems (which can lead to heart attack or stroke), blood sugar spikes,
heartburn, acid reflux, digestion problems, and problems to both the female
and male reproductive systems. Other physical symptoms of stress include
fatigue, sleep problems, and headaches (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016).

While stress can lead to physical symptoms in the general population, stress
can also exacerbate physical symptoms in more specific situations. For
example, Marital stress leads to worse cardiovascular outcomes for married
women with coronary heart disease (Orth-Gomer et al., 2000). Work stress
can lead to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as an
increased risk of mortality from CVD (Cohen et al., 2007). Among men with
HIV, stress can even lead to worse AIDS-related outcomes (Cohen et al.,
2007).

… And Mentally
Now that we have covered the physical symptoms of stress, it is time to
discuss the more well-known emotional and psychological symptoms of
stress. To begin with, stress can lead to anxiety, depression, problems with
focusing, anger problems, drug, alcohol, or tobacco use (or abuse), and social
withdrawal (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016). While stress can lead to depressive
episodes, it can also lead to the development of major depressive disorder
(MDD) specifically (Cohen et al., 2007).
Like the physical symptoms of stress described in the previous section, stress
can also lead to negative emotional and psychological consequences in more
specific situations. For example, teachers who experience more “classroom
stress” (as opposed to “workload stress”) have lower job satisfaction and
lower self-efficacy (Klassen & Chiu, 2010). Long-term care workers who
experience more occupational stress are also more likely to experience
lower job satisfaction and lower self-efficacy, but are additionally more likely to
want to quit their jobs (Park et al., 2017).
Finally, stress can make people more susceptible to the negative
psychological effects of financial issues, such as anxiety
and interpersonal issues (Adams et al., 2016). This shows that stress not only
has its own symptoms but that it can also worsen the consequences of other
negative life events. Now that we have discussed the negative effects of
stress, we can begin discussing ways to relieve this stress. One of the best
ways to do this is by avoiding stressors in the first place.
What Causes Stress?
Since stress is such a big part of daily life, it is important to know some of the
different places stress can come from. In general, stress can come from major
life events, such as moving to a different country, but there are also more
routine stressors, like “family issues, personal health issues, trying to maintain
a healthy lifestyle, concern for the health of others, issues in the workplace”,
and financial issues (healthdirect).

There is also a variety of new stressors in the modern world coming from
technology, as “communication load resulting from sending, receiving, and
checking private e-mails and social media messages, as well as Internet
multitasking are significantly related to increased perceived stress” (Reinecke
et al., 2017).
There are also more specific causes of stress, such as workplace stressors or
interpersonal stressors. For example, in the case of teachers, stress can
come from having too much work to do, but can also come from “noisy
students” (Klassen & Chiu, 2010). On the other hand, having a negative view
of one’s relationships, such as feeling insecure about one’s romantic
relationship, can lead to increased stress response, which can intensify the
negative effects of stress (Farrell & Simpson, 2017).
Long-Term Effects Go Beyond PTSD
While we have covered a variety of short- and medium-term physical and
psychological symptoms of stress, there are also long-term consequences of
stress. The most obvious is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can
occur after a single stressful event such as an earthquake (Dai et al., 2016).
There are other long-term effects of stress that do not involve PTSD, though.

For example, one study showed that people who experienced “multiple
childhood traumatic stressors” are at higher risk of premature death than
people who did not (Brown et al., 2009). Another study has shown that high
levels of stress in early childhood or adolescence are associated with negative
health outcomes in adulthood (Farrell et al., 2017). Traumatic events (in
childhood or otherwise) are associated with increased long-term risk for
cardiovascular disease (Cohen et al., 2007).

While childhood stress has been shown to lead to long-term negative effects,
even prenatal stress can affect someone’s life. For example, children whose
mothers experience a lot of stress during pregnancy are more likely to be born
underweight or undersized (Lupien et al., 2009). This shows the
pervasiveness of stress, as even indirect stress (such as that experienced by
one’s mother while in the womb) can have effects at a later time.

Women Become More Prosocial, Men Become More

Antisocial
While we have seen how stress can affect people differently depending on
their situations, sex is another variable to account for, as stress seems to
affect men and women in different ways. For example, one study looked at the
effect of stress on the “self-other distinction”, a social skill which affects one’s
ability to empathize with and understand others (Tomova et al., 2014).

Researchers interestingly found that stressed women exhibited a higher self-

other distinction than non-stressed women, while stressed men exhibited a
lower self-other distinction than non-stressed men. This indicates that stress
may potentially play a prosocial role in women and a more antisocial role in
men.

Stress affects men and women differently in other ways as well. One study
found that, when faced with a stressor, boys are more likely to engage in risk
taking behaviors, while girls are less likely to engage in risk taking behaviors
after exposure to the same stressor (Daughters et al., 2013).

Another study found a greater association between stress and increased

alcohol consumption in men than in women (Dawson et al., 2005). Similarly, a
study examining recent Hispanic immigrants to the United States found that
stress from this immigration was associated with more severe alcohol use in
men, but not in women (Cano et al., 2017).

Men and women respond differently to stressful events in other ways as well.
One study looking at earthquake survivors 10 months after an earthquake
found that women showed more post-traumatic stress symptoms than men
(Dell’Osso et al., 2013). In general, women are also more likely to have post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than men, though it is unclear how much of
this is due to report bias (Ditlevsen & Elklit, 2010).

Stress affects men and women differently at work, too. In traditionally

masculine workplaces, such as correctional institutions, women are more
likely to encounter more job stress than men do from the same stressors
(Paoline et al., 2015). A study looking at hotel employees found that role
stress had a greater negative impact on job satisfaction in female employees
than in male employees (Kim et al., 2009).

Taken together, all of these findings show that there is nuance in how stress
affects people, as there seem to be sex differences in how people respond to
stress. This may be due to social differences, though, such as how men and
women are treated differently (in the workplace, for example).

How High Is Your Stress?

From the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne, PhD: The
Stress symptom Checklist is a simple checklist that first has you consider which
physical symptoms of stress you are experiencing, then asks about
psychological symptoms. Based on how many symptoms you self-report, the
checklist determines whether your stress level is low, medium, high, or very
high. While this checklist is not a definitive measure of stress, it can be a good
way for one to start taking stock of how much stress they experience in their
daily lives.

Family, Meditation, and Education Can Reduce Stress

Now that we have covered all of the negative effects of stress as well as a
way to measure the amount of stress we are personally experiencing, it is
time to discuss some of the ways to reduce stress. Fortunately, there are a
variety of ways to reduce stress, whether one wants to reduce stress in a
group or by themselves, or whether one wants to reduce stress
through therapy or otherwise. One way to reduce stress is to surround
yourself with family, as prioritizing one’s family and having strong family ties
can buffer the negative effects of high levels of stress (Corona et al., 2017).
Among therapy-based ways to reduce stress, a meta-analysis determined that
cognitive-behavioral interventions were the most effective way to reduce
stress (Richardson & Rothstein, 2008). There are other non-therapy ways to
reduce stress that are also directed, however, like mindfulness-based stress
reduction (MBSR). In fact, a study found that low-dose mindfulness-based
stress reduction (MBSR-ld) led to stress reduction on par with regular MBSR
(Klatt et al., 2009). This shows that even small attempts at reducing stress can
be effective, so that stress-reducing programs do not have to be restricted to
people who have time to dedicate to long programs.

In fact, even just a bit of education about stress-reduction can be effective.

For example, a leisure education program has been shown to be effective in
reducing stress in older adults (Kao & Chang, 2017). The program
encouraged them to think about how (and if) they practice leisure in their own
lives, and suggested a few ways they could add some leisure into their days.

For people who want to work through some stress-reducing exercises by

themselves, the University of California-Davis has put together a PDF of
relaxation techniques including deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, yoga,
tai chi, and self-massage. This PDF walks you through each exercise, so it
can be helpful for people with no knowledge of any of the techniques.
Another PDF with anti-stress techniques comes from Purdue University, with
one technique (involving fist-clenching) taking just about ten seconds. This is
another example of how one can reduce stress no matter how little time they
have for anti-stress techniques.
Know Your Stressors and Avoid Creating Stress for Others
Stress is a part of everyone’s life, but unchecked stress levels can have all
sorts of negative emotional, psychological, and physical consequences. The
first key to reducing stress in our lives is to identify the stressors in our lives,
so that we can remove anything causing us undue stress from our lives.
Beyond that, there are a variety of anti-stress techniques (such as deep
breathing exercises) we can use to manage the unavoidable stress in our
lives, such as work stress.

One more important thing to think about is the negative long-term effects of
childhood stress. Since stressful events during childhood can lead to lifelong
consequences, we can all do our best to make sure we don’t contribute to
anyone’s stressful childhood, whether as parents, teachers, or anyone else
who regularly interacts with children. In fact, anything we can do to avoid
injecting unnecessary stress into anyone else’s life is a step worth taking.

Reducing Stress
“Fasten your oxygen mask before assisting others” is an all-too-familiar instruction that many of
us tune out when waiting for our flight to take off. But this sage advice can not only save you in
an emergency, it can save you in life and as an entrepreneur. You need to take care of yourself
first so that you can take care of your family, employees and clients. If you feel overwhelmed in
your business, read this first to learn how to reduce some of the stress in your life. It’s also
helpful to get a refresher on the law of diminishing returns to make sure that the additional work
you’re doing is actually creating a better outcome for your business.

Once you can manage your own stress, you can lead by example to create a less stressful work
environment for your employees. For additional help, here are a few of my own insights based
on my 20-plus years as an entrepreneur and small business advisor:

1. Set clear goals for your employees.

It's important to be transparent about the goals of the business and how job roles support these
goals. This gives employees peace of mind because they know what they need to focus on and
why. I recommend that you establish three to five strategic goals at the start of each year. Be sure
to involve your employees in developing these goals so they buy into them and feel part of the
process.

Related: 4 Stress-Management Tips for Reducing Anxiety and Getting More Done
There are free easy-to-use templates available to help guide you. Once you have your business
goals, each employee should develop their own 3 to 5 individual goals. They should ladder up to
the company goals and be measurable. This helps them understand how what they do on a daily
basis aligns with the company’s objectives.

2. Offer a flexible work environment.

Keeping employees is the most important thing you can do. If not, you can lose thousands of
dollars for every employee who leaves due to lost productivity and the cost of finding and
training a new employee. But for many small business owners, it can be difficult to stay
competitive with pay. But pay isn’t everything. Many people are looking for a purposeful
mission at the place they work. Others want a flexible work environment that helps reduce some
of the other pressures in their lives. So when you can't compete on pay, look for other creative
ways to keep employees happy. For example, if employees have children, be open to letting them
come into the office early and leave early to pick their children up after school. You can also be
flexible about letting employees work from home by having the right technology in place that
facilitates remote work.

To attract millennials to your business, it’s important that you offer “work-life” integration. This
means that work is task and effort oriented. So if they work at 2 a.m. rather than 3 p.m., it’s not
monitored as long as their work is completed by specific deadlines. This flexibility allows them
to continue to enjoy the things they want to do -- whether that’s attending their kids’ games or
participating in hobbies -- and still achieve what they need to for the business.

3. Share your profits.

So often employees see money coming in and don't feel like they are getting their fair share. If
your business is profitable, look at ways that you can reward employees when the business does
well. This could mean creating a profit sharing plan where they get a percentage of the profits or
a quarterly bonus. And even if your business doesn't have a lot of extra cash, you can be
generous in other meaningful ways. For example, at one of my businesses, I used to close down
the office for the day and take the staff to a spa and lunch as a celebration. This was something
that the employees looked forward to and worked to earn.

Related: How Successful People Manage Stress

4. Discourage multitasking.
Multitasking makes it hard for the brain to focus. In fact, new research shows that
multitasking drains the energy reserves of your brain. It uses up the oxygenated glucose in the
brain, which is the same fuel that your brain needs to focus. In fact, every time you are
interrupted it also takes about 23 minutes for you to regain focus according to Gloria Mark, a
professor in the department of informatics at the University of California, Irvine. So the best way
to get meaningful input and work product from your employees is to discourage them from
multitasking. You can do this by asking them not to bring laptops or phones to meetings. You
can also encourage them to post and respect “do not disturb signs” on their desks or on their
messenger app when they are focusing on an activity. You can also recommend that employees
take a 15-minute break every few hours.

Research shows that this short break helps our brains recharge so that we can better focus on the
next activity. The best way to make this happen is to lead by example. Make sure you are fully
present at meetings -- not looking at your phone or laptop -- so you can make clear decisions.
You can also shorten meetings to 15 to 20 minutes. Then give yourself 10 minutes between
meetings to catch up. This way you and your employees don’t feel stressed about emails piling
up.

5. Encourage employees to move their bodies.

The mind can’t work at an optimal level without the body. Just like you block off your calendar
for work, it's important to block off 30 to 60 minutes each day to move your body. So encourage
employees to take time from their day to exercise at the gym, take a walking lunch or meeting or
try a yoga class. You’ll find that your employees will work smarter, and have greater focus and
clarity of thought. I often teach a yoga class at lunch. Many of the employees who attend my
class tell me how they return to their desks with a renewed sense of energy and creativity. Others
say that they can solve issues that weren't able to solve before taking that mental reprieve.
Physical activity such as yoga and running is also a good way for employees to learn how to pace
themselves at work.

Related: 3 Ways to Manage Stress and Recharge Your Life

These simple steps can help you reduce the stress level of your employees. Not only will this
improve their lives but you will create loyal employees who enjoy coming to work each day. In
turn, happy employees create happy clients and are the foundation for making your business
successful over the long run.