7th November 2018 is National Stress Awareness Day.
According to Perkbox’s UK Workplace Stress Survey 2018, 91% of us experience work-related stress. Virgin Pulse’s HRA Data also shows that people who are stressed at work are 26% more likely to leave and 8.2% less productive than those who aren’t.
So what?
STRESS COSTS!
We feel sleepy, argumentative and anxious when stressed with work, cited as the top 3 impacts – 65%, 59% and 34%, respectively – in Perkbox’s Wellness eBook.
So, what can we do about it?
Evidence tells us that fitness can help.
Physical activity positively impacts a number of physiological and psychological mechanisms (Anderson & Shivakumar 2013). When you exercise, your physiology alters as the body releases chemicals called endorphins (Howlett et al. 1984; Boecker et al. 2008) which help you feel better. Physical activity has also been proven to improve sleep (Kline, 2014), the single biggest effect that stress has on British workers (65% of those Perkbox surveyed cited this impact).
Try and find what works for you.
Whether walking or a regular gym-workout, yoga or tai-chi, the key really is getting in some exercise. If you like mind-body exercise like yoga or pilates then do that. If you prefer high-intensity activities (e.g. running or spinning) then go for it! (be conscious of the time you do it though, as for some people raising the heart-rate close to bed time can be a bad move).
What now?
Next time you are feeling stressed, try and get in some exercise. Simple!
If you have any questions on the research in this article or want to contact Chris, don’t hesitate to reach out: chris@innerfit.co.uk Chris is the founder of Innerfit, a fitness-cantered provider on a mission to transform well-being in the workplace.
Work Wise Wellness collaborates with several associates to promote wellbeing in the workplace. If you and your teams wish to learn specifics around Emotional Resilience and managing Stress to promote positive Mental Health, please get in touch – we’d love to chat. leigh@workwisewellness.co.uk
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