Stress is too Sweet for Business

Imagine you are in a line of people. Either you, or the person in front of you is likely diabetic or prediabetic. Yep, it's that common.

What we know is stress impacts our metabolic function . And who isn't stressed these days?

Stress and Blood Sugar

Stress commands our bodies to push sugar into our blood stream. This sugar is used to help with the manufacture of all the hormones that are required when the body is in a stressed state. This is OK when stress happens occasionally, but for those that are stressed continually, insulin resistance can occur and over time, leads to diabetes.

With 11% of the population already diagnosed as diabetic, a further 40% has the sneaky silent condition called prediabetes. Prediabetes is something that simmers in the background, often for years, until your doctor proclaims you have diabetes, and with that all the potential future complications that leave few body organs unscathed.

Who is at risk?

Prediabetes may take years to fully manifest so it's good to find out if you are at risk. You are at a higher risk if you are overweight or obese, aged over 45, though prediabetes is being seen in people much younger, have a parent or sibling with diabetes type 2, have a sedentary lifestyle, are physically active less than 3 times per week, or are African American, Asian or Hispanic, to name a few. Prediabetes can be present for years without any obvious symptoms. It's a good idea to ask your doctor if you should be tested, even if you don't have the above risk factors but experience chronic stress.

Many stressors can be shorter lived, an approaching deadline, starting a new job, or a company reshuffle. Some stressors last longer like continual unrealistic demands, poor leadership or managers, poor boundaries, tolerance of bad behaviors, lack of clarity around roles or expectations to name a few.

There are many ways stress can be helped and remember not everyone responds to the same stressors equally - think about those that love public speaking vs those that do not. We are all a little bit different.

For companies that are looking to improve the health and wellbeing of their people, stress is an important consideration. It will pay dividends in employee returns from reducing attrition, to productivity, to happiness and health.

Simple approaches to reducing stress

• Increase movement during the day (short walks or walking meetings are a good start)
• Encourage exercise (3 times per week or more)
• Provide permission for employees to say no (or not now) to tasks when they are already overwhelmed
• Encourage taking breaks and eating lunch away from desks
• Reduce distractions (allow employees focus time to work without interruption)
• Educate employees about what stress really is (it's more how we think about stress)
• Laughter and fun (even fake laughs help)
• Encourage healthy eating (recipe of the week or healthy snacks)
• Breathwork and meditation (1 minute of deep breathing can help settle stress hormones)
• Train leaders how to talk about stress and managing energy (many managers don't know how to have these conversations!)

The reasons employees feel stressed in your business may be multifaceted. Helping them to better understand stress and provide in the moment strategies, will create not only a healthier workforce but a happier one too.

If you are looking for a workplace wellness program that tackles the subject of stress let's connect!

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