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Stress relief is essential, says mental health expert
When stress is inevitable, learning to de-stress – through exercise, connections with other people and fun – can be literally lifesaving.
“There is good stress and negative stress – stress that people experience as being harmful to their health,” says Taylor Alexander, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association. “The kinds of positive stress that people experience are the challenges of a new task, taking on new work, taking on a new role in life or beginning a new job, for example. It can be a positive stress because people are challenged to do new things, to learn new skills and to develop new capacities that they may not have had before.”
Negative stress is a health issue, says Dr. Alexander. “People feel that they are beginning to get anxious, depressed and overwhelmed – they may feel unable to cope with the demands placed upon them. And when that feeling of being unable to cope increases, then people’s stress is a good marker for beginning to experience mental health difficulties.”
An effective strategy for managing stress, he says, is to begin with some soul-searching and consideration of the boundaries between work and home, and how work is affecting an individual’s mood or behaviour. “If they find there are warning signs or if they’re getting feedback from their families, for example, that they’re particularly stressed and preoccupied by work, then we would suggest they get some help for that, rather than letting it get worse.”
Establishing healthy boundaries between work and home life makes room for some of the most effective de-stressers: an active social life and rewarding relationships. “Sports, hobbies or just spending time with your family are very helpful.
“We know that between 1985 and 2005, the time that people spend with their families each year has been reduced by the equivalent of five weeks. That’s five weeks less people are spending together with their families, because of work-related pressures. That is a pretty good litmus test of the kinds of stresses that people are under.”
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