B-R-E-A-T-H-E™ In The Workplace Saves Dollars And Lives
In our current economic crisis, workplace wellness programs have become essential to maintain the health of both the employer and the employee. Stress in the workplace has been shown to increase absenteeism, hostility, mistrust, and attrition rates, and decrease company morale and productivity. In addition, workplace stress increases rates of anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular mortality. Recent studies have shown how workplace wellness programs focused on diet, exercise, and stress reduction lead to decreased absenteeism, improved productivity, and substantial cost savings.
In a recent issue of BusinessWeek, the CEO of Johnson and Johnson discussed how investing in their large scale health promotion and disease prevention programs served to reduce benefit costs and improve worker productivity. Data from a study of their program also showed how improvements happened quickly and were sustained over time.
[wcm_restrict]Over the past fifteen years, I’ve personally witnessed how emotional stress directly impacts the hearts of my patients. Studies show that workplace stress creates two specific types of emotional stress that are hazardous to our hearts. The first deals with increased physical strain, or feeling like you have too much to accomplish in not enough time. The second involves a type of stress created by feelings of isolation and loneliness, which occurs when employees feel unappreciated, unacknowledged and as though they have little or no chance for career advancement. I often hear complaints of how the demanding pressures at work, coupled with the lack of time to decompress at home, are exhausting.
The reality is, we all experience rising pressures to perform under increasingly more demanding schedules. So I set out to develop a solution, and developed the BREATHE™ technique, a seven-step exercise that helps reduce stress and heal your heart. BREATHE™ combines two proven forms of relaxation – guided imagery and breath work – and puts a modern spin on ancient wisdom. Both of these techniques elicit the “relaxation response” which is opposite the “stress response”. When practiced regularly, like toning your muscles in the gym, you’ll develop a special neural network that will help you focus and find a sense of calm when faced with one of life’s unexpected stressful challenges.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]
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About the Author
John M. Kennedy, M.D., is the medical director of preventative cardiology and wellness at Marina del Rey Hospital, and author of the new book, The 15 Minute Heart Cure: The Natural Way to Release Stress and Heal Your Heart in Just Minutes a Day
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