If you're under too much stress to read this... you better read this.

Feeling too stressed to read this article? As if we needed proof, a series of recent studies show how busy and stressed the American worker has become:

U.S. wage earners log the equivalent of an extra month of time on the job each year compared with workers two decades ago (Harvard University study).

Record numbers of people (more than half) say they would be willing to take less pay for more free time (Harvard study). The people who trade in comfort for more free time identified more balance and less stress as their motivation.

Working mothers routinely juggle as many as seven things at once - from meeting a deadline to lining up a baby sitter. Men routinely juggle three things. (University of Chicago study)

Stress-related illness costs the nation $300 billion a year in medical costs and lost productivity.

Reducing stress

So how can we take control and reduce the stress in our lives? First you need to identify what is causing your stress. Are you overwhelmed by your responsibilities and the choices in your life? Are you lacking support from others? Do you have a negative attitude about most things? Are you always tired and feeling run down?

To more effectively manage the stress in your life, you need to develop stress-management skills. If you feel overwhelmed at work, you need to investigate how to organize yourself to better control the ways you spend your time and energies. Set goals and time lines, control your tempo by planning ahead, predict the amount of work you can accomplish in a given time period, and stick with decisions once you make them.

If you feel you lack support from others, you can manage your environment by controlling what and who is around you. If possible, avoid people who cause you stress and gain support for yourself by ending old or starting new relationships. You can lessen stress in relationships by seeking supportive relationships, listening attentively to others and saying "no" when you need to. Releasing pressure someone else may be imposing on you, knowing when to stand up for yourself and when to retreat, and creating a space or time that invites you to relax also may alleviate stress.

If you seem to have a negative attitude about the things that cause you stress, a change in your outlook may be as easy as redefining a problem. By placing the problem in a broader context, you may be able to discover its positive aspects. Acknowledging that some forces are bigger than you are and surrendering to that fact, affirming your own beliefs and being able to laugh at yourself are but a few additional ways to reduce stress.

How you treat your body is just important as how you control your mental state when battling stress. Exercise, good nutrition and relaxation can be practiced and mastered. The result is not only a stronger and healthier body, but one that is better able to withstand stress.

Once you have identified those facets of your life that produce stress and begin to develop strategies to lessen stress, you will see that your level of stress-handling has gone from, "I can't handle this" to "It's not so bad" to "I can do it!"

This information was obtained from AOCNet.com