29 Apr 2015 Is Stress Harmful To You?
Does the belief that stress is harmful to your health influence your actual state of health? Can your beliefs about stress increase the likelihood of your premature death?
The Science:
In a 2013 study involving 28,753 participants, Dr. Abiola Keller and her colleagues at the University of Wisconsin determined that individuals who experienced a moderate or a high level of stress AND also believed that stress is bad for their health were 43% more likely to die prematurely.
Dr. Keller and her colleagues also found that individuals who took steps to reduce their stress level were significantly less likely to experience poor health or psychological distress.
In a related study, Dr. Jeremy Jamieson of Harvard Medical School and his colleagues found that participants who were encouraged to view stress as a positive physiological response, responded significantly better to stressful situations when compared to the control group, which was not given such encouragement.
When participants thought about stress as the body’s way to equip us to better handle stressful situations, their cardiac output was significantly higher. They also perceived that their resilience and inner resources to handle the situation were much higher.
Our Recommendation:
The results of these studies suggest that there are two ways to improve your response to the stressors in your life:
1. Take active steps to reduce the stress in your life by adopting practices such as Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga, and Tai Chi; and
2. Adopt the belief that your body’s response to short term stress is not harmful to you, but rather a mechanism which equips you to respond most effectively to the stressful situation.
Read More:
To learn more please visit our Holistic Wellness Program and Willpower Program.
