Silent Killer

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"The only benefit stress provides to our body is that it sparks our adrenaline."

The very reason why I was hesitant to apply for a job in Manila is because I hate stress. I had this biased perception that living in Manila is stressful as compared to the way of life in my hometown or in Baguio City. My only categories of comparison are traffic and pollution. I had this great plan of building a career in Baguio where I feel the cozy atmosphere of a home. I was also decided to pursue a teaching position in one of the universities in the City of Pines not minding lesser income. What mattered to me back then is having a stress free life.

Unfortunately, things changed. Right now I am here in Makati, employed as an auditor and currently in a rush to finish my working paper. After spending months of stay in the firm beating deadlines, dealing with unfriendly clients, and handling pressures, I can say I became a part of growing number of victims by this Silent Killer- STRESS!

Stress is the one of the enemies of people in the workplace. It attacks by surprise and it’s like a habit that is hard to break when it enters your system. Workplace stress is the result of great amount of demands on the job. It is omnipresent in an unsupportive work environment. Co-workers which are hard to get along with or with irritating behaviors are the allies of stress.

The only benefit stress provides to our body is that it sparks our adrenaline. Our mind and body act on a fast pace in order to meet the demands of our work which is the natural scenario in the workplace. Without stress we wouldn’t meet deadlines, strive hard to achieve quotas in sale or reached the production target. Meeting all this expectations makes our work interesting and satisfying. However, problem occurs when stress is so overwhelming or constant that the tension never abates we never get the chance to relax.

As a warning to all of us, we are victims of stress if we already feel these symptoms:

• Headache


• Sleep disturbance


• Upset stomach


• Difficulty concentrating


• Irritability


• Low morale


• Poor relations with family and friends

If you feel those listed above act quickly and find a remedy to fight stress. I found some friendly tips for all of us, victims of stress:

Get time away. If you feel the presence of stress, try to move out and break free. Walk away from the situation. Stand up from your sit and stroll around the office to catch up some fresh air. Spend a few minutes of meditating. Find a silent place and enjoy a 5 to 15 minutes break.

Talk it out. The best way to reduce your stress is simply expressing it out and share to someone close to you what you feel. However be careful not to sound hysterical or in panic mode. Simply talk it out. Surely support from others will be overflowing which is an excellent remedy to steam off stress.

Cultivate allies at work. The feeling that you are not alone in the battle field assures you that there are co-workers who are willing to assist you in time of stress. Just remember to reciprocate and help them when they are in need.

Find humor in the situation. Talking out your stressful experience to people around you hilariously and not seriously ensures you that series of laughter will fill up your atmosphere. Sometimes it’s nice to have co-workers who are naturally born comedian for instant laughter on gloomy days. Just like in a saying, “Laughter is the best medicine”.

I hope these tips can help you deal with stress. Enjoy life and have a stress free day!

Cream Page:

"I assure myself that any time now, things will get better and the task I’m working on will be accomplished. "

Stress Test
The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress level at St. Mary's Hospital.Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical.A closely monitored, scientific study of a group revealed that in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical; a person under stress would find differences in the two dolphins. If there are many differences found between both dolphins, it means that the person is experiencing a great amount of stress.Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you may want to take a vacation.

Didn’t that make you laugh!? In this fast-paced stressful life we have now, it’s refreshing to take a vacation from time to time. If you want to live longer, just take it easy. Don’t take life too seriously. Laugh and have fun under the sun, and even under the rain. Be a child-at-heart.

Many people today are ambitious. And that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s not bad to desire a big house, your own car, a trip abroad or a self-established business. But many are hard-driving workaholics. They work 25 hours a day. And stress is one of the silent killers affecting their system. Work is the 3rd most common cause of stress after bereavement and divorce.

Stress is the body's response to any stimulus. Any type of stress triggers physiological responses: your adrenaline output increases, your heart pumps faster, and your breathing rate goes up. There is both healthy and unhealthy stress. Some stress adds the needed pressure to push us through an important deadline but there is also negative stress that can have some serious impacts on our health. The strain of negative stress manifests such symptoms as: chronic fatigue, headaches, a change in eating habits, inability to concentrate and general irritability. Stress hormones weaken the immune system, increase blood pressure and increase the number of blood platelets which can clog arteries.
Whenever I experience stress, I try to be optimistic. I assure myself that any time now, things will get better and the task I’m working on will be accomplished. Time is not my friend with the job I have. We always have to act fast, to catch up, to beat the cut-off, to make it no matter what. But at the end of the day, I always sigh with relief and relax once again. I never bring any work home. I usually read a good book before I sleep at night. And every weekend I see to it that I watch a good movie as well. But the greatest stress-buster I know is chatting with friends and officemates, and having a good belly laugh once in a while and even during that stressful time of the day. It makes things lighter and more bearable.

“If we agree that the bottom line of life is happiness, not success, then it makes perfect sense to say that it is the journey that counts, not reaching the destination”-Csikszentmihalyi

DELECTABLE FINALE

Stress is inevitable. It can either be positive or negative. It’s up to us how we’ll let it affect us but it’s always important to keep a positive and optimistic attitude. Let’s not take things too seriously and be playful from time to time. Life is still worthwhile. There are multivitamins in the market that may alleviate stress but there’s also a free stress-buster always available to us: a good belly laugh.