Don’t Stress! Just Relax.
Have you been working too much? When was the last vacation you took? Are you working on the weekends too? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, you may need to make some time for yourself and relax! We all have things going on and most of us typically make use of our off time by accomplishing other things. But over time, especially without relaxation, we can wear ourselves out. Relaxation is so much more than putting your feet up. Without relaxation, we can damage our physical & mental health! So, let’s put relaxation into perspective and aim to understand the negative impact of overworking as well as how to practice relaxation.
Let’s kick things off with a study from University College London. Those working on the study developed a meta-analysis from a multitude of studies including 600,000 workers to show risk in developing heart disease as well as 530,000 workers to show risk of stroke. The research found that those who work 55+ hours a week have a 13% greater chance to have a heart attack and were 33% more likely to suffer a stroke in comparison to those who work 35-40 hours. When taking the data into account, it may be wise to look for signs that you’re experiencing being overworked or “burnout.” According to Psychology Today, “Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Though it’s most often caused by problems at work, it can also appear in other areas of life, such as parenting, caretaking, or romantic relationships.” Signs of burnout include physical and mental exhaustion, a sense of dread about work, and frequent feelings of cynicism, anger, or irritability. You may even be wondering, “how can you tell the difference between burnout and stress?” If the stress is often short-lived and tied to certain goals you are working towards, that would simply be stress. But if you’re experiencing signs that tend to be long lasting and without an end in sight, you are experiencing burnout.
There are ways to counter overworking just by understanding relaxation a little more. Whether you find gardening, meditating, drawing or whatever will bring you inner peace as a relaxing task, try to take note of such task. Relaxing will help you destress from whatever is bringing you stress and the benefits of relaxing surely outweigh the effects of overworking. By practicing relaxation, you can develop any of the following:
● Slowing heart rate
● Lowering blood pressure
● Slowing your breathing rate
● Improving digestion
● Maintaining normal blood sugar levels
● Reducing activity of stress hormones
● Increasing blood flow to major muscles
● Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
● Improving concentration and mood
● Improving sleep quality
● Lowering fatigue
● Reducing anger and frustration
● Boosting confidence to handle problems
Relaxing is an important part of everyday life, but if what helps you relax isn’t active, make sure not to relax too much. A body in motion tends to stay in motion whereas a body at rest tends to stay at rest. People can also turn to quick stress relievers that don’t ultimately get to the root of the problem. Quick stress relievers can be great in the moment, but they don’t change your situation in a significant way. If you are looking at decreasing the stress in your life, they may not be the best option. It is best to build healthy habits that build resilience towards stress including exercise, mediation, and self-care. These activities are good for your overall health and help fight the negative effects of chronic stress. They do take time to practice as habits take time to form. A healthy mix of resilience-building habits and quick stress relievers can help you effectively manage your stress.
Picking ways to relax that are healthy is fundamental in relieving burnout. First off, make sure you are getting enough sleep. Make this a priority. Not getting enough sleep is going to heighten any level of burnout you may feel. Check out the list below for some ways to relax:
● Yoga
● Meditation
● Exercise mindfulness
● Find support/talk to a friend or family member
● Exercise
● Deep breathing
● Get a massage
● Journal
● Read a book
● Lay under a weighted blanket
● Cook yourself dinner (something healthy of course)
● Listen to music
● Unplug/turn off your phone
● Craft and create (painting, knitting, drawing, etc)
● Clean
● Watch a funny video
Burnout is a very real thing and a lot of people experience some level of it at some point in their lives for different reasons. It is important to take time for yourself and relax. Make sure your relaxation techniques are healthy or they will just serve as a band-aid to a bigger problem. Building healthy habits now will help to build your resilience to stress and burnout. So, in honor of National Relaxation Day, do what you can today to help yourself relax.
Citation: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/only-the-overworked-die-young-201512148815
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60295-1/fulltext