Less stress is essential to better health – DOH

Stress can be a good thing when it helps us perform better, but it can also be a bad thing that brings you disappointment and illness, and possibly even shorten your life, said one of the country's top health officials Wednesday.

“Reducing stress gradually is essential in safeguarding our health, it can improves one’s mood, promote longevity and allow us to become more productive," said Department of Health - National Capital Region (DOH-NCR) Director Dr. Eduardo C. Janairo in a statement.

He said urban living can be stressful if one does not have enough health or financial security.

This in turn can increase health risks and may cause conditions such as severe depression and physical problems such as headaches and loss of sleep.

Citing data from the National Center for Mental Health, the DOH said stress is similar to tension, "an individual’s internal reaction to pressure or demand."

The common effects of stress include:

• physical - fatigue, headache, frequent colds;
• mental - a decrease in concentration and memory, confusion, and loss of sense of humor;
• emotional - depression, anger, frustration, worry, fear, irritability, impatience, short temperedness; and
• behavioral - increase in eating habits, smoking, drinking, crying, yelling, swearing and blaming others.

Janairo said common causes of stress in the city include the daily hassles of commuting, beating the bundy clock, noise, pollution, heat, confined places, red tape, work deadlines and the rudeness or bossiness of others.

He added that lifestyle choices can also cause stress, such as drinking too much coffee, not getting enough sleep and dealing with overloaded work schedules.

Janairo urged Metro Manila residents to live a healthy lifestyle, eat a well-balanced diet, have regular exercise of at least 30 minutes three times a week, have adequate sleep and try to relax from time to time.

He also advised them to manage time and finances, deal with problems as they come and look at things more positively.

Health worker training

The DOH is also training health workers to help sufferers manage their stress.

To handle patients suffering from stress and mental illness, the DOH in Metro Manila coordinated with the National Center for Mental Health to train Non-Communicable Disease Coordinators in Metro Manila's 17 local government units.

The coordinators are trained in stress management and mental health, and will in turn facilitate the education of health workers in hospitals and health centers in the region.

"The objective of the training is to detect and treat stress and mental illnesses in patients and provide proper care and management," the department said. — BM, GMA News