1. evening standard Wednesday 18 november 2009 H 29
Health & Beauty
o relieve the pressure verdict of the stress thermometers. On but not as a substitute for physio/
Six office StreSS tipS
eat dark chocolate
Chocolate contains theobromine,
which has a similar effect to caffeine
but also magnesium which is calming.
Swiss scientists say a small chunk of
Calming influence: deadline? Cold. Breaking news stories? osteopathy. dark chocolate a day can reduce levels
Sophie Goodchild Cold. Slagging off X Factor with cost/contact: £39.99/www. of cortisol — the stress hormone.
tests the Emwave, colleagues? Cold. I don’t think I’m as theyantramat.co.uk
a Walkman-like stressed as all that. oliver Wadeson Be screen-saved
gadget that cost: £2 for traditional thermometer At meditainment.com you can watch
monitors your or £7.99 for 36 stress squares/www. eMWave three-minute de-stress videos or
breathing hypnosishealthcare.com how it works: This Walkman-like download soundtracks. “You take
Jim armitage gadget monitors your breathing and three minutes out and when you come
trains you to be less reactive and think back, stress is greatly reduced,” says
yantra Mat more clearly. You switch Richard Latham, Meditainment’s
how it works: The fabric mat is it on, put your thumb on scriptwriter, who believes desktop
covered with discs of plastic the sensor button then backgrounds or screensavers that
“spikes” like a modern version start breathing in and out display calming scenery can also help.
of the bed-of-nails. When you in time with the blue light
rest any part of the body on display. get a lighter life
the contact points, the mat any science? The A lack of natural daylight can make us
distributes your weight breathing “pacer” facility feel low and lethargic, cutting
evenly, creating a feeling of on the emwave productivity and adding to stress
almost-instant relaxation. synchronises to your heart levels. Dr Victoria Revell, a scientist at
any science? Based on rhythms. Slowing yourself the University of Surrey says: “Brain
ancient Chinese principles of down reduces anxiety and scans show that better light improves
acupressure. The contact increases well-being by levels of alertness.” Try the Lumie
points prompt the body to suppressing your urge to Desklamp or the Lumie Zip.
release endorphins and oxytocin. These panic in stressful situations. (£129/£125 www.lumie.com)
are the body’s pain-relieving and relax factor: This gadget was a bit
happiness hormones. alarming at first. When I switched it Manage your Manager
relax factor: The sharp contact points on for a session, red lights started Manage Your Boss (Prentice, £7.50) is
did cause an initial prickly feeling. Once flashing then blue. The idea is to train Jay Ros’s definitive guide to getting
I got used to the sensation, the mat was yourself to get in the zone of “high the right relationship with your boss.
surprisingly comfortable. No real coherence”. I found myself juggling Ros tells us that not only are bosses
“wow” factor but does induce sense of breathing deeply with meeting human but they have a huge impact
calm throughout body. For sufferers of deadlines. Think with more practice on your job satisfaction.
lower back pain caused by stress like would be useful. and being reminded
myself, the Yantra mat will prove a to breathe is definitely a bonus. tap to tranquillize
useful additional tool to loosen muscles cost/contact: £125/www.relax-uk.com Paul McKenna shows people how to get
around problematic areas of the back sophie goodchild rid of cravings by tapping points on
their faces and bodies and it works for
stress, too. The technique, developed
StreSS factS and figureS by Dr Roger Callahan, is called thought
field therapy (TFT) and involves
Most stressed professions london facts completing a sequence of taps and
(percentage suffering from severe and ■ 96,800 cases of anxiety or repeating if necessary. Find out more
extreme stress levels) depression-related illness last year. at www.rogercallahan.com .
Lawyers 38% ■ 1.6 million working days lost as a
Bankers and financiers 28.4% result of illness including that related to plant your proBleMs
Doctors and nurses 27.7% job anxiety. A Nasa scientist found desk plants can
Teachers 23.6% ■ 617,520 Londoners complain their job reduce sick building syndrome,
is “extremely stressful”. Norwegian studies show in a workplace
professionals who can’t switch off ■ £4 billion a year loss to society and with plants common illnesses fall by
Estate agents/property developers 52% economy as a result of work-related 30-45 per cent, and psychologists
Lawyers 51% illness. believe that plants make employees
rebecca reid
Teachers 46% ■ £20,000 to £30,000 is the usual more productive. The message is clear
Actors/performers 41.9% compensation for stress-related — go green in the office.
Charity workers 41.7% “injury”.
many causes, many symptoms HOW ON THE VERGE ARE YOU?
try this stress quiz to find out. Just answer yes or no to the questions
W
e all need a certain
amount of pressure in Dr Christian low self-esteem and forgetfulness. It
can even lower your sex drive. 1. Do you feel angry or irritable much of 13. Do you suffer from breathlessness?
our lives to make our
work satisfying and
Jessen Finally, behavioural symptoms can
cause sufferers to becoming irritable,
the time?
2. Do you have dramatic mood swings?
14. Do you suffer from frequent
indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea?
help us meet our aggressive and withdrawn, and to stop 3. Do you suffer from obsessive thoughts 15. Do you experience muscle twitches?
deadlines. But too much pressure communicating. an affected person or actions, such as repeated handwashing 16. Do you feel constantly worn out?
without having the chance to let off vital signs may show signs of changes in eating or constantly checking whether you have 17. Do you suffer from pains in the chest
steam causes stress. Of course, what is and sleeping patterns; they may drink left the gas on? or tightness?
stressful for one person may not be and smoke more, and even start 4. Do you often feel apprehensive or 18. Do you suffer from palpitations or a
stressful for another. Some thrive on it to divide these into physiological, excessively self-medicating. Of course, frightened? “lump” in the throat or stomach?
while others crumble. psychological and behavioural these will also affect home life, making 5. Do you suffer from diminished libido? 19. Are you too busy to relax?
If you feel that you are always symptoms. them more “difficult” outside work, 6. Do you have feelings of self-loathing or 20. Do you stick rigidly to routines?
rushing about, trying to be in too Physiological symptoms caused by less able to cope with their family and lack of self-worth?
many places at once, missing meal stress include headaches, migraines, maybe even neglecting their hygiene 7. Do you have suicidal thoughts? If you have answered “yes” to three or
breaks, for ever taking work home stomach disorders, raised blood and personal appearance. 8. Do you find yourself unable to more of these questions, it is likely that
with you, and never seem to have pressure, changing sleep patterns, There is rarely any one single cause concentrate? you may be heading for the tipping point.
enough time for exercise, relaxation muscle spasms, back/shoulder/neck of work-related stress. While sudden, 9. Do you feel constantly guilty? Prolonged anxiety and stress can lead to
or spending time with your family, pain, general malaise and an unexpected pressures can trigger it, it 10. Do you experience feelings of potentially major health problems such as
then you may well be at risk of unwillingness to work. is often the result of a range of stressful paranoia? heart disease, hypertension or high blood
developing stress-related problems. Psychological symptoms can cause factors that build up over time. If they 11. Do you get aches in your back and pressure. Now is the time to contact your
Stress is caused by a wide variety of you to grow resentful towards your are left undetected and untreated, shoulders? GP to discuss your health and think about
different situations, and so can also work, making it a place of anxiety, they can reach boiling point and cause 12. Do you suffer from insomnia, changes you can make to your lifestyle to
have a wide range of symptoms. I tend tension and the cause of irritability, a full mental breakdown. nightmares or wake up still feeling tired? ease pressure.