How Can Stress Affect Us?
Too much continued stress can seriously affect our physical and mental well being. It can interfere with our normal daily activities, diminish our self-esteem, impair relationships, and decrease work and academic effectiveness. Stress can lead to self-blame, self-doubt, feeling burned out, or becoming clinically anxious or depressed.
Here are some important facts about stress:
- 43% of adults experienced adverse health effects from stress
- 75-90% of visits to a physician's office are for stress-related conditions and complaints
- Stress has been linked to the 6 leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has declared stress a hazard of the workplace
- In the workplace, stress may be related to lost hours due to absenteeism, reduced productivity, and worker's compensation benefits. This costs the American industry more than $300 billion annually.
Source: The Stress Solution by Lyle H. Miller, Ph.D., and Alma Dell Smith, PhD.
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