John Hanksworth

Stress is a part of everyone’s life. People become stressed over different things and have different reactions to stress. Some people cope with stress in better ways than others. Some may do yoga, exercise, play video games, or listen to music, while others deal with stress by being angry, and getting even more stressed.

One excellent way to relieve stress is making use of stress balls. For those who may not have the time to work out, or who have horrible reactions to stress, squeezing a stress ball can be the perfect solution.

Stress balls come in different shapes and sizes, but all have the same effect of stress relief. Many health organizations and fitness centers recommend the use of stress balls in order to relieve stress. Stress balls are composed of a high-density foam, squeezable polyurethane, or soft rubber. These balls can be filled with gel and decorated in a wide variety of ways with a variety of colors and textures.

Stress balls are not only useful to people dealing with stress, but can also help arthritic people and people suffering from nerve disorders. Squeezing the stress ball increases blood circulation to the hands, and therefore can help arthritis, and even re-energize tired hands.

Stress balls can also be used to rejuvenate people who are tired from the long day. They are usable by any age group (you only need to be old enough to hold it and squeeze), and have no side effects. Using a stress ball on a regular basis can help one to live a healthier and happier life.

People today are stressed more than ever. Job demands are high, and so are family demands. In today’s ever-bustling world, the people who will live happier lives are those who have great methods of dealing with stress. Stress balls can help anyone deal with great amounts of pressure. The war on stress is tough to win, but with the aid of stress balls, the battle will be short and sweet.

By Terry Doherty

Stress in the workplace is a growing problem. Time and time again, hard-working employees hit the wall and lose all ability to perform. These employees show few outward signals prior to collapsing, as they want to impress and succeed. Any sign of weakness can be misinterpreted, and thus, they keep it to themselves.

According to the Health and Safety Executive one in six employees finds their work situation to be very or highly stressful. This means, in larger companies, the effects can be quite large. The same study calculates that 10.5 million sick days can be linked to stress-related. The costs of these sick days and performance can be enormous for both large companies and small companies.

There are many options open to companies to tackle the issue of stress before it grows out of control. Several of these can offer employees different ways to cope with stress both in the workplace and at home. These methods can be provided by an employer and have showed a great deal of success at large companies.

1) Relaxation techniques: Learned relaxation techniques can help employees deal with stressful situations. These techniques can consist of breathing methods, short walks outside, and meditation classes. These relaxation techniques can be learned or encouraged by management.

2) Organizing and prioritizing: Allow employees to organize and prioritize in a way that benefits both you and the employee. By letting them structure their day in a way they feel is manageable the results can be improved. Often times organizers and time-management specialists can help give structure.

3) Access to exercise: employees who exercise regularly are better able to cope with stress. Access to a gym, yoga classes, or aerobics can pay back ten-fold in cutting the number of sick-days.

4) Self-hypnosis: A learned technique that can create more focused employees capable of dealing with stress. The technique allows the employee to focus on problems and issues at work as they arise. This often requires work with a licensed professional, but once the employees have learned the skills, they can use them without added expense in the future.

Each of these methods involves a basic investment in the employee that increases initial costs for the employer, but according to the HSE study, these costs will come back to the employer in the amount of sick-days retained. Also, having healthier and happier employees can only enhance quality of performance. Any combination of the above techniques to reduce stress should see a result.