Stressed Out? Guided Imagery and Meditation Can Help, Researchers Say
Updated: Stress can be good when it spurs peak performance to meet a challenge. But those who are plagued by so much stress that they experience agitation and insomnia need to dial it down.
Researchers and psychologists are offering solutions for the overstressed, the Wall Street Journal reports. They recommend training in meditation and mindfulness, as well as guided imagery.
Stress on the job is also linked to depression, according to a recent study cited by ABC News. A study of middle-aged government workers in Great Britain suggests that those who work long hours are twice as likely to experience a major episode of depression. Those who worked more than 11 hours a day were at greatest risk.
Home builder Carl Weissensee began using guided imagery and deep breathing to deal with stress after experiencing insomnia and a heart attack, the Wall Street Journal says. Weissensee acknowledges his worries, then practices skipping over them and telling himself the problems will work themselves out.
Now, he tells the newspaper, he no longer thinks “I’m doomed” when faced with worries. “My goal is to worry just enough to do my job well,” he says.
Updated at 8:50 a.m. to include ABC News coverage.
