resiliency

“It is really in ourselves, in our emotions and in our memories, that we can each find our healing space.  For the most powerful of healing places is in the brain and in the mind.” - Esther Sternberg, MD

And Vice Versa.  According to the Center for Disease Control, people with phobic fears and severe anxiety issues have a greater risk of heart disease.

Scientists have found that people with excessive fear of social situations, animals, or the outdoors are 30 or 40 times more likely to have the extreme tension that may create heart disease and cause an attack.  

According to this month’s Idea Fitness Journal; Dr. Esther Sternberg, MD, section chief of neuroendocrine immunology and behavior at the National Institute of Mental Health, is quoted as saying that “one-third of Americans are living with extraordinary stress and that 90% of us live with stress on a regular basis.”

Are we doomed?  Not so, states Sternberg.  It is unlikely that many of us can walk away from our stressors, but becoming “resilient” and learning to cope is essential.  Finding our “bounce” and strengthening our ability to put things in perspective are key.  In the article, Sternberg suggests that help from fitness professionals is vital, as is walking, meditating several times a week, and a healthy Mediterranean diet.

Qualified fitness professionals are designed to deliver heart-saving lifestyle changes to your employees.  Wellness programs educate and provide the tools to teach your company to take baby steps until wellness becomes a habit.  Presenting people with the reality that they do have power over their lives is invaluable.

What do I mean by bounce?  Bounce = Resilience.  Resilience is the one trait that a human being absolutely needs to get through a difficult time.  According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the definition of resilience is:

1 - the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress

2 - an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

According to the American Institute of Stress, “Numerous studies show that job stress is far and away the major source of stress for American adults and that it has escalated progressively over the past few decades. Increased levels of job stress as assessed by the perception of having little control but lots of demands have been demonstrated to be associated with increased rates of heart attack, hypertension and other disorders. In New York, Los Angeles and other municipalities, the relationship between job stress and heart attacks is so well acknowledged, that any police officer who suffers a coronary event on or off the job is assumed to have a work related injury and is compensated accordingly.” 

Effective Corporate Wellness Programs include user-friendly techniques and promotions to keep your employees able to weather the storms on the job front, at their homes, and in their whole life picture.  Because when your employees lose their bounce, it costs you.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines health as: “1 a : the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially : freedom from physical disease or pain b : the general condition of the body <in poor health> <enjoys good health> 2 a : flourishing condition.”

A conversation about how to keep your company’s bottom line in good health is incomplete if the condition of your employees’ minds and spirits are overlooked.  If an employee isn’t sleeping, is depressed, anxious, or addicted, and they don’t have access to the tools that empower them to fix themselves and their loved ones, then your health and wellness plan may be fatally shortsighted.  When people are hurting emotionally, they may become a liability to your company, as well as to themselves.

These days, stress levels are off the charts.  Employees struggle because they don’t have the same breathing room as in the past; they may be singlehandedly performing jobs that used to require two or three people in half the time.  Everyone is plugged in 24/7.  Human beings are amazingly resilient, but also extremely fragile.  When something happens that affects hearts and heads, people need support, information and education to cope.  That’s a truly comprehensive wellness picture.

In my last post, I passed along tips from the APA for keeping your employees productive and resilient.  One of them was: “Don’t panic. Take a deep breath.  Don’t get swept up in doom-and-gloom hype. Stay calm, focused and realistic so you can consider all of your options carefully.”

What is resiliency, and why is it important to your corporate health and wellness program?  Merriam Webster defines “resilience” as:

1: the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress

Money is a top source of anxiety for 80% of Americans, according to a 2008 Stress in America survey by the American Psychological Association. We’re worried about keeping our homes, our insurance, and our jobs.  This intense stress can knock even your most level-headed employees off track, leading to bad judgment and poor decisions.