The costs associated with workplace stress continue impact business in Australia and the rest of the western world.

It’s probably fair to say the level of stress people experience in business seems to be on the increase! It doesn’t matter if people are self-employed or work for a corporation, the story continues to be the same.

Most people are working extremely hard in a complex and competitive environment, and it appears that as a society WE HAVE ACCEPTED PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AS NORMAL and a part of the day-to-day grind that we have to live with.

Research commissioned by Medibank Private has found that stress directly costs Australian employers $10 billion a year and is responsible for 3.2-days being lost each year per worker.

Read the Australian Institute of Company Directors Report HERE.

Is this the real cost of workplace stress?

From a business perspective it might be. But that’s not the most important perspective ...... what about the cost you and I pay personally, what is that?

To make this conversation a meaningful one, let’s define stress as it relates to the conversation. We have to this because not all stress is bad.

The stress we are talking about here is this: ‘Any emotional state that causes the body to respond to the release of the hormone cortisol.’ The body only operates in one of two states - growth or protection (survival). When the body is relaxed, in a state of well being it is in growth mode and all of the systems related to longevity are working. When emotional stress is present, all of the systems are not working!

One question you must know the answer to – DOES STRESS HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON YOUR HEALTH?

Another Inconvenient Truth

Stress is a natural response to certain stimulus and forms an important part of our survival mechanism. When you experience stress the chemistry of your body changes. The main problem with emotional stress is that the biochemistry that creates it DOES NOT SUPPORT A HEALTHY BODY!

The flow of blood and electrical energy is directed in such a way that it enhances your fight or flight ability in response to some situation. Simultaneously, certain automatic systems start to shut down so that energy can be diverted to where it is needed most. One of the first systems affected is the body’s immune system (which includes waste elimination).

People who live in prolonged periods of stress gradually experience a build up of internal waste which in turn leads to lower levels of energy and reduced performance. As waste and toxicity accumulates over time, it leads to illness and accelerated aging of the body’s building blocks – THE CELLS.

As the 75 trillion or so cells of your body age, you see the signs of age in the mirror.

When you finally realise that you have aged faster than you really would have liked, it’s already too late.

THE CONSEQUENCES of emotional stress and associated behaviours can be clearly seen in the poor health statistics we are continually exposed to and affected by.

•The World Health Organisation states that by 2020, depression will be the largest single cause of illness

•> 65% of the population now die of cancer or heart disease - that equates to some 14 million Australians who will die earlier than they need to

•> 65% of the Australian population are overweight or obese (> 3 million people) - I wonder if I’m the only one who sees the correlation with cancer and heart disease statistics mentioned above?

•Obesity related disease is costing Australia $22 Billion per year – twice as much as Medicare

•In America, spending on obesity related disease now exceeds $170 Billion per year

These figures are sending all of us a clear message – something must change if we are going to thrive as a community, and live a long, healthy, vital life.

Remember this:

‘You cannot do what 90 percent of the population are doing and expect something else to happen to you.’

Can you control stress?

1. ✦Is it possible that you can control how you feel about what you do and continue to do similar work?
   

2. ✦Is it possible you can do less and achieve more in both the personal and professional aspects of your life, including in the areas of health and wealth creation?
   

In every case, the answer is YES YOU CAN!

You have to decide if you want to be like 90 percent of the population, you have to decide if you want to wait until that ‘wake up call’ arrives on your doorstep or do something to really create an extraordinary life right now.

If you really are committed to being more effective as an employee and / or leader, if you are committed to your own health and maximising your potential longevity, if you really are interested in the psychology of peak performance and extraordinary living, if you truly are committed to living life according to a new set of standards, then do something for yourself.

I only know one way to break away from the stresses everybody else chooses to live, and this way is based on some key principles.

1. •Work continually towards balance - this means meeting your personal needs both at home and at work (as opposed to enjoying one and not the other)
   

2. •Get out of detail, stay focused on your higher level values - life is far less complex
   

3. •Maintain symmetry in your life - this means you are moving forward and making progress in all of the important high level values you have
   

4. •Only act with the knowledge of the outcome you are working towards, and the reasons why you want that outcome - the action becomes far more enjoyable
   

Is this really a practical solution? Absolutely, in fact we teach this to 1,000s of people in our Most Effective Leader on the Planet seminar. Why don’t you join us, it just might change your life!

Well my friend, that’s it for now. I really do hope you think about what I have said as this is a major contributing factor in people living life in a way that ultimately kills their emotions, kills their drive and causes the body to stop functioning far earlier than it needs to.

Until the next time we catch up, take care and enjoy life to the fullest.

George Lee Sye