Showing posts with label wellbeing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wellbeing. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 April 2014

Stress and wellbeing survey shows Australians more stressed than ever!

A recent survey conducted by the Australian Psychological Society revealed that in 2013, Australian's reported higher levels of stress and decreased levels of wellbeing when compared to previous years.  



Top causes of stress were listed:

52% of respondents named financial issues as a cause of stress
47% named family issues
43% named personal health issues
41% named trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle
38% named concern over the health of others
34% named issues in the workplace

24% named mental health issues

An alarming 73% reported that stress was impacting their physical health and 65% reported their mental health was being affected.  

Are you feeling more stressed than ever?

What can you do to relieve the stress?  The survey revealed that in 2013 many participants reported using social media, sleeping more, eating more and watching TV and movies as stress busting techniques.  
Whilst these techniques may help to reduce stress, overeating, oversleeping and too much time engaging in sedentary activities can have negative effects on our physical and mental health.  

What can you do to tackle stress? 

  • Physical exercise - a proven stress reducing technique!!
  • Talk to a friend of family member  - social interaction has stress buffering effects!!
  • Talk to a psychologist - getting some help to manage excessive stress is very important if stress is beginning to impact your day to day functioning
  • Look after your health - healthy eating, sleeping eight hours per night and regular exercise are a fantastic buffer for stress
  • Make some time for laughter - watch a comedy or have a laugh with friends
  • Seek practical help - is there a particular area such as financial stress or workplace stress that is impacting your health?  Perhaps seeking financial counselling, or contacting your HR team or Fairwork Australia for advice about your rights at work may be just the help you need
Need to talk about the stress in your life?  Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for free 24/7 telephone counselling in Australia.  


Monday, 17 March 2014

Be compassionate, you'll be happier and healthier!!

Being compassionate is beneficial to others, but did you know the act of compassion also benefits your psychological and physical health?



Fredrikson et al (2008) conducted a study where participants were randomly assigned to practise loving kindness meditations - firstly directed towards themselves, then directed towards a loved one.  The results of the experiment showed that participants who participated in compassionate meditation showed increased levels of daily happiness when compared to a control group.  

The researchers state "these shifts in positive emotions took time to appear and were not large in magnitude, but over the course of 9 weeks, they were linked to increases in a variety of personal resources, including mindful attention, self-acceptance, positive relations with others, and good physical health. Moreover, these gains in personal resources were consequential: They enabled people to become more satisfied with their lives and to experience fewer symptoms of depression. 
  
In addition to this, the group who participated in compassionate meditation experienced less depression, were in better physical shape, and had a better satisfaction with life than the control group.  

The researchers state that "positive emotions produce success and health as much as they reflect these good outcomes."

Want to be happier and healthier?  Find more ways to increase your positive emotions!!
Would you like to learn more about loving kindness meditation?  Click here!