July
Issue
Quick Tips
1
Take a 10 minute
walk. Walking will
help to clear your
head and boots
endorphins.
2
Catch some rays.
Go outside for 10min.
a day to get your
daily dose of vitamin
D which helps keep
your immune system
strong.
3
Open a window
and breathe
Simple breathing
exercises can go a
long way to make
your day easier to
deal with.
L
7
RELAX MORE AND STRESS LESS
ess Stress
Secrets to a
Stress-Free
Life
Set Boundaries– Prioritize your commitments and say no to some tasks, this can help you be
more successful with what you find to be really important.
Connect– Put love and friendship first in your life. Connection may help improve heart health,
prompt the release of the stress-relieving hormone oxytocin, and allow you to sidestep the
health risk of isolation.
Focus on Now– Rather than disperse your energy with multitasking, take one job, one
person at a time. The more mindful you are, the quicker you can stop stress and turn yourself
around.
Write It Out– Release stress by getting negative feelings out of your body. Pick up a pen and
write down your thoughts.
Eat Well: A healthy diet gives you the energy to handle daily stress, and keeps your blood
sugar levels stable so you don’t experience mood swings due to low blood sugar levels. Skipping
meals and making poor food choices can contribute to fatigue, greater feelings of stress, and a
general feeling of poor health.
Mini-Meditation– Take a few minutes a day to center yourself when things become
stressful. Visualize a peaceful image and practice taking deep inhales and steady exhales.
Love Your Commute– See you travel time as a chance to practice patience and relaxation.
If you can stay relaxed in heavy traffic, you can handle anything.
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WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress is physical response to situations that make you feel threatened or upset you balance in
some way. The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it
helps you stay focused, energetic and alert. However, beyond a certain point, stress stops being
helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your
relationships, and your quality of life.
SIGNS/SYMPTOMS






Anxious thoughts
Constant worrying
Moodiness
Irritability/short temper
Feeling overwhelmed
Sense of loneliness
EUSTRESS




Depression or general
unhappiness
Frequent colds
Rapid Heartbeat
Eating more or less
VS.



Sleeping too much or too
little
Using alcohol, cigarettes or
drugs to relax
Nervous habits (e.g. nail
biting, pacing)
DISTRESS
Many people are unaware that there are two categorizes of stress: Eustress and Distress.
Eustress is the good stress that motivates
you to continue working. Stress can be a
motivator and provide incentive to get the
job done. Everyone needs a little bit of stress
in their life in order to continue to be happy,
motivated, challenged and productive. It is
when this stress is no longer tolerable and/or
manageable that distress comes in.
Worksite
Wellness
Tip
Distress is when the good stress becomes
to much to bear or cope with. Tension
builds, there is no longer any fun in the
challenge, there seems to be no relief, no
end in sight. This is the kind of stress most
of us are familiar with and this is the kind of
stress that leads to poor decision making.
Try gathering a group of co-workers to form a lunch-break workout group. Spend
a portion of your lunch-break walking outside, going through yoga stretches, or
doing a fitness DVD. You could even try to ask your supervisor for extra time for
lunch so you can have time to be active and eat lunch! If lunch-break isn't the
best time, try getting together after work and being active.
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