Wellness

How to reduce stress naturally

Stress is a worldwide issue but Asian workers seem to be hit the hardest. Asian cities rank among the most overworked in the world according to a global report, with Tokyo, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur among the worst.

Workers in those three Asian cities spend longer hours in the office, take fewer holidays and have some of the worst work–life balance in the world, a report by global keyless security system provider Kisi found. The research was carried out across 40 cities, and looked at commuting times, arrival time at work, number of hours worked per week and the amount of holidays taken.

In terms of working hours, Singapore, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur rank highest in the world, with more than 20 per cent of people clocking up more than 48 hours per week.

In a separate report by workspace provider The Regus Group, China was found to have the highest rise in workplace stress with 86 per cent of employees reporting greater anxiety. Globally, six in 10 workers in major economies are also experiencing increased workplace angst.

Clearly, we need to do something to reverse the trend. Stress causes myriad problems and ailments, impacting social lives, immunity, sleep and often leading to a low mood or depression. Then there’s the hundreds of billions of dollars lost by businesses due to stress-related absenteeism. Fortunately, natural ways to beat stress abound.

EXERCISE MEDITATION

Widespread notions of meditation’s beneficial effects have been reinforced by numerous studies, particularly one carried out by Harvard University. When researchers put participants through an eight-week meditation course, all experienced a marked calming effect and reduced activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates the fight-or-flight response. Meditation had “distinct effects on brain areas associated with awareness and with deliberate relaxation” and resulted in “enduring, beneficial changes in brain function, especially in the area of emotional processing”.

PATTING AN ANIMAL

Much research has confirmed the soothing sensation gained by patting animals. In one of the most recent studies, Washington University split a group of students into four. One group patted cats and dogs, a second group watched an animal slideshow, a third watched the first group play with the animals and the fourth waited without phones or anything to read. Afterwards, the group that patted animals had far lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva. Other research has shown patting dogs also raises levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin.

DEEP BREATHING

The magic stress-beating ingredients created by exercise are endorphins, the feel-good chemicals produced by the body through activity. Numerous studies list exercise among the best ways to start knocking any kind of stress, negativity or depression on the head. Even walking 20 minutes a day can help lift your mood. ‘Take slow deep breaths’ may sound like cliched advice when you’re suffering anxiety, but there is scientific proof it works. A professor of biochemistry at Stanford University discovered breathing can have a direct effect on brain activity levels, with slow deep breaths found to keep the brain calm while quelling feelings of nervousness or anxiety.