© Jobles. Image from BigStockPhoto.com"As if losing your job isn't bad enough, a new study suggests that people who are laid off are at higher risk of being diagnosed with health conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, and even arthritis than those who keep their jobs."
"It's particularly important to manage stress in healthy ways and try to maintain good health habits and cope effectively." according to study author Kate Strully, assistant professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Albany. Study: Job loss associated with health problems, Theresa Tamkins, CNN.com, 05/12/09
Okay you lost your job. What now? Stress according to this study can actually set off a number of problems which can make your situation even worse. What are some effective strategies?
1. Don't go it alone.
Find someone to do stress reducing exercises like reflexology with.
Trade sessions with someone. Or find a family who will trade with you. Giving a session can be very beneficial as well. The people who do reflexology tend to be on the healthy side because of the tactile stimulation that they receive. So give some to receive some.
2. Use your new found time to focus on stress and not bury it.
Stress is not easily buried. It tends to resurface in harmful ways as this study shows.
So make your job applications and look for jobs on your computer but do it with a foot roller under your feet. Or rub your hands as you make that important call. Break up those stress patterns as you apply yourself.
And start your own personal spa to relax after a hard day of job hunting. Walk out barefoot on your lawn to relax and refresh your system. Or find ways that make you relax and feel better about yourself.
3. Interrupt stress on do it frequently.
This is my main mantra. Stress won't kill you. It is the continuity of stress that will kill you. Humans can endure incredibly high levels of stress if that stress is occasionally interrupted. So interrupt the stress and do it frequently.
4. Don't fight stress, do some judo on it.
In Judo the idea is never to meet the force head-on. Rather you redirect the energy. If you are feeling nervous about the job situation redirect that energy into doing something that is positive for your mind and your body.
How can you think of coping with this or other difficult times?
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