Latest Naturheilzentrum news: the degree to which too much work can make us ill
Helpful tips for stress, burnout & Co.
We’re all familiar with stress. While nobody would describe it as pleasant, stress can be helpful to a certain extent. But nowadays, many Germans suffer from very high levels of stress. The possible consequences? Sleep disorders, physical symptoms such as back pain and, in the worst-case scenario, the dreaded burnout.
According to a study by the ‘Techniker’ health insurance company, (https://www.tk.de/resource/blob/2026630/9154e4c71766c410dc859916aa798217/tk-stressstudie-2016-data.pdf), the perceived stress levels of many People has risen over the last few years. More than half of all respondents say they are regularly plagued by stress. Can so much stress be healthy in the long term? What really helps and, above all, what is effective against stress?
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Can stress really make you ill?
According to the study, the biggest stress factor is the workplace. If you take a look at the details, you’ll find specific reasons such as too much work and deadline pressure, as well as less obvious factors such as a lack of recognition and sub-optimal working conditions. The requirement to be constantly available – which has now become commonplace in everyday life – obviously plagues many People.
While most of us can take a certain amount of stress, it can have a long-term effect on our health in high doses. “Stress can have a negative impact on health,” says Christian Rüger, naturopath at Naturheilzentrum Bottrop (nabo). “Those affected often complain of back pain, inner tension or sleep problems.” The German medical magazine, Ärzteblatt also associates excessive stress with these symptoms (https://www.aerzteblatt.de/nachrichten/92312/Jeder-Zweite-fuehlt-sich-von-Burnout-bedroht) and references a survey conducted by Pronova BKK.
Remedies for stress – what helps against stress?
When it comes to remedies that help alleviate stress, the ‘Techniker’ study yields few surprises for the main part. Tried-and-tested remedies include hobbies, chilling out, and social contacts, music or a glass of beer or wine. In contrast, only half of the respondents consider sport as a way of balancing things out. “Those who are under a lot of stress should look for a balance. The effectiveness of sport has been impressively demonstrated here in many studies,” says Rüger. “But in general, there should also be some inner reflection on the problem to find out what exactly causes the stress, how we can classify it, and how to approach it.”
In fact, attitudes seem to be one of the deciding factors in how stress affects our lives. An article in the popular science magazine ‘Spektrum der Wissenschaft’ refers, for example, to a study, according to which stress has an especially negative effect if it is perceived by the affected Person to be a health risk (https://www.spektrum.de/wissen/was-hilft-gegen-stress/1562092).
In fact, attitudes seem to be one of the deciding factors in how stress affects our lives. An article in the popular science magazine ‘Spektrum der Wissenschaft’ refers, for example, to a study, according to which stress has an especially negative effect if it is perceived by the affected Person to be a health risk (https://www.spektrum.de/wissen/was-hilft-gegen-stress/1562092).
Tips against stress and burnout – naturopathy can help
There are also additional remedies for stress in the field of naturopathy. The effect of numerous herbal ingredients has also been scientifically well documented. A good example of this is lavender oil, the effect of which has even been confirmed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). When drunk as a tea, lavender can have a relaxing effect on the body.
Naturopathy can not only help with regard to herbal remedies, but also in terms of techniques such as ‘mindfulness meditation’. This can be shown to have a positive impact on our stress levels, as evidenced by this meta-study published in ‘JAMA Internal Medicine’: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395196.
Other physical exercises may also be helpful, as Rüger describes: “Certain breathing or mindfulness exercises can be an effective remedy for stress. They help us calm down and develop a new perception of our bodies.”
In the new Naturheilzentrum Bottrop #nabomade video by Christian Rüger and his colleague Farid Zitoun, the two naturopaths deal with the topic of stress and also consider other helpful remedies for this phenomenon. In turn, the topic of mindfulness will be examined in more detail in the new nabo blog post “Mindfulness & letting go”.
