Let's Talk About Stress

According to the American Psychological Association, women reportedly experience more stress than their male counterparts do. The reasons for this range from work, money, family, etc. Additionally, married women report higher levels of stress than single women do (if you are a woman whose mother is constantly pressuring you to get married, this is a nice, little defense mechanism to use).

What’s more is that when steps are not taken to actively reduce stress levels, health complications may arise. Conditions range from symptoms of heart disease, such as hypertension and high cholesterol, to asthma, obesity, diabetes, depression or premature death.

Clearly, it would behoove any person who feels stress piling on to take steps to reduce it. One of the simplest solutions is adequate physical activity, i.e. exercise. In fact, several studies have shown that exercise, either through weight lifting, long endurance workouts or yoga, has been credited to effectively reducing levels of stress.

In other words, if things are getting crazy at work, take a set of your favorite workout gear and head over to the gym after leaving the office. If you tend to feel too drained for a hard workout, the healing powers of yoga can help you forget about that TPS report that you have been reminded of every 10 minutes. If working out after work is not an option, take a pair of walking shoes and pop in those headphones to listen to your favorite music or podcast while taking a thirty minute stroll during your lunch break.

When life is getting too crazy for you, take a step back and a deep breath, and keep your body moving.