Time to build your physical, mental and emotional resilience
While not all stress is necessarily bad, a recently released Stress and Wellbeing in Australia survey revealed that five million Australians believe there’s a direct link between their workplace stress levels and their physical health. While this may be a no-brainer, corporate health specialist, Ron Ehrlich suggests a better understanding of the effects of stress will, A) go a long way to preventing any number chronic diseases, plus mental health issues including depression and anxiety, and B) take a load off the health system.
Any investment in maintaining a healthy workforce returns in spades for when it comes to productivity and society at large. However, Ehrlich claims that public health messages are often confusing and contradictory, and frequently sponsored by those industries who business model depends on long-term chronic disease management rather than health and wellbeing.
Bosses are uniquely placed to facilitate and improve the health of their staff. But Ehrlich claims it’s high time that individuals were more empowered to take control their own health, by focussing on building their physical, mental and emotional resilience.
“Understanding how stress has the potential to compromise immune function and promote chronic inflammation are key to dealing with challenges of stress,” said Ehrlich in a recent opinion piece in The Australian.
Ehrlich suggests anyone serious about taking control of their health focus on five key pillars: Sleep, breathing, nutrition, movement, and thought.
Tell-tale signs of stress in your workplace
- Increased or excessive absenteeism
- High or increased accident rates or WorkCover claims
- Reduced morale
- Poor interpersonal relations in the workplace
- Poor or reduced work output and performance
- Increased staff turnover
(Source: Qld Department of Education)
