April is Stress Awareness Month
Company Website:
http://www.healthnet.com
LOS ANGELES -- (Business Wire)
As many Americans will attest, “home, sweet home” isn’t always a
stress-free zone. With April being Stress Awareness Month, Health
Net, Inc., (NYSE:HNT) is offering tips designed to reduce stress at
home. Homegrown stress can be traced to numerous sources – a noisy
environment, an unhappy spouse, financial worries, or even mundane
domestic duties such as doing the laundry or mowing the lawn.
Stress is not a subject to be taken lightly. As Patricia Buss, M.D.,
medical and health care services operations officer for Health Net,
Inc., explains, “Stress has been linked to a broad range of
psychological and physical disorders.”
In fact, according to the American Institute of Stress, studies have
uncovered a connection between stress and depression, anxiety, heart
attacks, stroke, hypertension, common colds, rheumatoid arthritis,
multiple sclerosis, rashes, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative
colitis.
Symptoms of Stress
Recognizing that you’re experiencing stress is the first step toward
managing stress. The following are some common physical, emotional and
behavioral symptoms associated with stress:
- Physical signs – headaches, light-headedness, rapid breathing
and heartbeat, sweaty palms, dry mouth, stomachaches and trouble
sleeping or concentrating;
- Emotional signs – depression, anxiety, nightmares, crying
spells or feeling unable to cope;
- Behavioral signs – irritability, impatience, anger, aggression,
social isolation, lack of energy, changes in appetite, loss of
interest in activities previously enjoyed, boredom, significant
alcohol or drug use and diminished sex drive.
Ten Tips to Make your Home a Haven
Health Net’s behavioral health subsidiary, Managed Health Network, Inc.,
offers the following strategies designed to help make your home life
happier and healthier:
- Express yourself – If you feel in any way mistreated by a
member of your household, you need to speak up and diplomatically
express what’s bothering you. Doing so can serve to strengthen your
self-esteem while simultaneously lowering your stress level;
- Slim down your schedule – Having an overflowing home to-do list
almost invariably leads to stress. Don’t take on too many projects or
commitments at once. Learn to prioritize and say “no;”
- Select a stress-management activity – Find a
relaxation-inducing activity and weave it into your daily routine.
Examples include meditating, doing yoga, knitting, listening to music
or gardening;
- Take action – For many people, financial pressures are a major
source of stress. Taking action to address the issue can help you feel
more in control of the situation, and this – in turn – could help
lessen your stress. Possible action steps include creating a budget,
increasing your savings and exploring ways to earn more income;
- Accept what you can’t control – There are many situations in
life that simply are out of our control, and if you fail to recognize
such situations, your stress level is likely to skyrocket. By learning
to distinguish between those instances in which you can have an impact
and those in which you cannot, you may feel both more productive and
less overwhelmed;
- Surround yourself with supportive people – The people you
consider to be your “inner circle” should be sources of solace, not
stress. If this isn’t the case, it’s time to re-examine just who
should be in that circle;
- Get organized – Living in an organized, tidy house – coupled
with creating a feasible, prioritized home to-do list – brings with it
a sense of control; and that sense of control may be accompanied by a
decrease in stress. Additionally, by developing a system that corrals
household items – such as keys, sunglasses, and cell phones – you may
avoid that frazzled feeling that comes with constantly being in search
mode;
- Make time for fun – Simple activities can make for a home
steeped in happiness, not stress. Consider these simple but fun
pastimes – reading to your child, playing with a pet, or making a meal
with family or friends;
- Create a personal space – It’s important for each of us to have
a physical space where we can spend time away from others. This
doesn’t have to be a formal space; it can simply be a lounge chair in
the backyard or a couch in the basement – anywhere that enables you to
relax and quiet your thoughts.
- Infuse your home with calm – Your home’s physical surroundings
can contribute to creating a sense of calm, so integrate natural
elements such as stone, wood and plants. It’s also recommended that
walls be painted in cool, calming colors such as light greens and soft
blues. Another suggestion is to integrate soothing lighting by using
lamps with dimmer switches.
While stress can never be completely removed from any environment, these
tips will help keep the “sweet” in “home, sweet home.”
Medical Advice Disclaimer
The information provided is not intended as medical advice or as a
substitute for professional medical care. Always seek the advice of your
physician or other health provider for any questions you may have
regarding your medical condition and follow your health care provider’s
instructions.
About Health Net
Health Net, Inc. is a publicly traded managed care organization that
delivers managed health care services through health plans and
government-sponsored managed care plans. Its mission is to help people
be healthy, secure and comfortable. Health Net provides and administers
health benefits to approximately 5.3 million individuals across the
country through group, individual, Medicare (including the Medicare
prescription drug benefit commonly referred to as “Part D”), Medicaid,
U.S. Department of Defense, including TRICARE, and Veterans Affairs
programs. Health Net also offers behavioral health, substance abuse and
employee assistance programs, managed health care products related to
prescription drugs, managed health care product coordination for
multi-region employers, and administrative services for medical groups
and self-funded benefits programs.
For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit Health Net’s
website at www.healthnet.com.
Contacts:
Health Net, Inc.
Lori Rieger, 602-794-1415
lori.rieger@healthnet.com
www.twitter.com/hnlori
Source: Health Net, Inc.
© 2024 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.