Stress is a killer. You might hear someone say, “The stress at my job is killing me!”

They could be overstating the situation.

In many cases, though, stress can quite literally kill you.

Chronic stress is related to the six leading causes of death. It’s believed that more than 75% of all trips to the emergency room or a doctor are stress-related.

So the next time a friend tells you stress is killing him, you might want to take that statement seriously.

Ask anyone you know, and they’ll tell you of a stressful situation they experienced recently. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence.

You might have too much stress in your own life.

For several reasons, you can benefit from stressing less and relaxing more often. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, learn to empathize more.

Last update on 2024-11-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

How Empathy Leads to Less Stress and Depression

An empathetic person can place themselves in the emotional experience of someone else. That’s the first part of empathy. The part of the empathetic process some people forget is responding helpfully.

You see a coworker with a huge workload.

She’s stressing out, and you know there’s no way she can hit a proposed deadline.

You tell her that even though her productivity is excellent and she’s a great worker, you don’t know how she will get everything done.

You just paid her a compliment. You saw that her emotions were frazzled and that she wasn’t in a good mental state, so you said something nice about her ability on the job.

The next thing you can do after you identify with her situation is to assist.

Offer to help her tackle some of her responsibilities. When you do, your coworker will thank you.

She’ll experience less stress, and science tells us that you’ll also have less stress, anxiety, and depression.

When you learn to recognize that someone else is experiencing negative emotions, you want to help. This is the response for most people.

What also happens is that you subconsciously recognize that you’re not in that situation.

You can understand your coworker’s emotional stress, but you aren’t experiencing the same thing yourself.

Dr. Jamil Zaki is a psychology professor and the director of the Social Neuroscience Laboratory at Stanford.

He says empathy can help you see past people’s many differences and move past prejudice or bias.

These are negative emotions.

They can produce a stress response in your body. Empathy doesn’t allow that to develop.

Dr. Zaki also says empathy makes people happier in their relationships and even more successful at work.

Studies show that an empathetic person learns how to properly process his or her own emotions by being able to recognize the emotions other people are experiencing.

That means being more empathetic can help others and give you a wonderful boost of less stress and more peace of mind.

How Avoidance Creates More Stress

When you have an especially difficult or stressful task, it can be very tempting to avoid completing it.

Or, if you don’t like to think about a subject because of an experience, it can seem easier not to think about that topic.

Both of these situations are known as avoidance, and though it may be tempting to engage in this behavior, it causes more stress than it relieves.

You Won’t Stop Thinking About It

If you’ve ever experienced trauma, it can be tempting to avoid all thoughts of things that may remind you of the trauma you experienced.

Although this may be less painful in the short run, the truth is, in the long term, this will stress you out more because the thoughts of your trauma will always return until you genuinely learn to deal with them rather than avoid them.

The same holds for specific physical tasks.

You may put them off because you don’t want to think about them, but this will only stress you out more because you will have to keep thinking about the task instead of simply completing it now.

You’ll Run Out Of Time

When you put off a task, you may momentarily relieve your stress by telling yourself you will complete the task later.

But this is worse than doing the job now because later, you will experience more pressure when faced with a fast-approaching deadline.

This is especially true if you haven’t left yourself enough time to complete the task and have to rush at the last minute.

Stress Avoidance Creates Conflict

Maybe a coworker is waiting for you to complete your work so they can get started on theirs.

If you don’t leave yourself enough time before the deadline, you may also cause them to be late in meeting their deadline.

This can cause a conflict between you as your coworker may be upset that you made them late.

And when you experience conflict in your relationships, this only adds to your overall stress level rather than lowering it.

Although avoiding certain tasks or putting them off can be extremely tempting, this is a flawed approach, as it will only cause you more stress in the long run.

Avoidance does not solve problems. Instead, it creates conflict, leading to increased stress in the future.

Last update on 2024-11-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Stress-Relieving Value of Accepting Your Differences

Were you ever teased as a child?

A lot of us were. Some kids will make fun of others who are fatter or skinnier, taller or shorter, or different in some other way.

Unfortunately, they learn this behavior from adults who likewise chastise their colleagues, friends, and others for being different.

This becomes a big problem when several children attack another child and declare some differences to be negative.

When this behavior is ongoing, the different child can begin to feel low self-worth.

After all, if everyone tells her she’s different and that her differences aren’t good, they must be right.

Why else would they all be saying the same thing? That child becomes upset with the person she sees in the mirror.

Why is she overweight?

Why is her skin different from others?

Why wasn’t she given the intelligence that all her friends have? This leads to self-doubt, low self-esteem, and, in some cases, risky and unsafe behavior.

Stress Is a Killer, but It Doesn’t Have To Be

That’s a very stressful scenario.

Unfortunately, this is a common situation for children, teens, young adults, and even older adults.

It causes a lot of stress, both physical and mental. The stress starts to build up because the differences are seen as negative.

The marvelous, unique individual that was created is not allowed to be who they are.

They try not to be themselves.

On the physiological side of the equation, this chronic stress produces chemicals that lead to anxiety, depression, and other negative feelings.

Ask any doctor, and they’ll tell you stress is related to most chronic illnesses and many major causes of death.

Your differences don’t have to be stressful.

They shouldn’t be.

When you embrace who you are, you realize you have much to offer. You’re fine, just like you are right now.

This leads to confidence and less stress. You aren’t as anxious about trying to please others by fitting into their silly idea of who you should be.

Your confidence and self-esteem go up when you accept and love your differences.

You’ll also find that certain people want to manipulate you rather than accept who you are.

You should move on from these people and spend more time with supportive individuals who encourage your uniqueness.

Be happy with who you are. You’re the only “you” that will ever be created.

There will never be another human being exactly like you.

When you embrace that fact and consider your differences and advantages, you’ll suffer less stress and anxiety and enjoy more self-love, fulfillment, and success.

Last update on 2024-11-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Summary Point 1:

• Chronic stress is linked to the leading causes of death and is responsible for a significant percentage of ER visits.
• Empathizing more with others can help reduce stress levels and promote relaxation.

Summary Point 2:

• Empathy involves understanding others’ emotions and responding helpfully, leading to reduced stress and anxiety.
• Assisting someone in need can not only benefit them but also have positive effects on your mental well-being.

Summary Point 3:

• Empathy fosters positive relationships, decreases prejudice, and increases happiness and success in work.
• Being empathetic allows for better emotional processing and can lead to a more peaceful state of mind.

Summary Point 4:

• Avoidance of stressful tasks or thoughts can actually result in increased stress levels over time.
• Procrastination may offer temporary relief but ultimately leads to additional stress and pressure.

Summary Point 5:

• Avoiding challenging tasks can lead to running out of time and facing heightened stress due to impending deadlines.
• Delayed completion of work can create conflicts with others, causing additional stress and potential disputes.

The Impact of Conflict in Relationships on Stress Levels:

• Conflict in relationships can significantly increase stress levels.
• Avoiding conflicts does not solve problems and may lead to increased stress in the future.

The Stress-Relieving Value of Accepting Differences:

• Teasing and negative comments about differences can lead to low self-worth and stress.
• Accepting and embracing one’s differences can lead to increased confidence, less stress, and improved mental well-being.

Physical and Mental Effects of Stress from Negative Perceptions:

• Negative perceptions of differences can result in chronic stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Chronic stress from negative perceptions is linked to chronic illnesses and major causes of death.

Embracing Individual Differences to Minimize Stress and Anxiety:

• Embracing one’s unique traits increases self-worth and confidence and reduces stress and anxiety.
• Spending time with supportive individuals who encourage uniqueness is beneficial for mental well-being.

Empathy as a Tool for Stress Reduction:

• Empathy can serve as an ultimate tool for reducing stress and anxiety.
• Connecting deeply and understanding others can lead to peace of mind and healthier relationships.

Connection Between Empathy and Mental Well-Being:

• Empathy plays a role in navigating life’s challenges and cultivating a resilient mental state.
• Developing emotional resilience through empathy can contribute to improved mental strength and well-being.

Positive Impact of Embracing Differences on Self-Love and Success:

• Embracing individual differences leads to less stress and anxiety and more self-love and fulfillment.
• Consideration of both differences and advantages contributes to improved mental well-being and success.

Optimal Mental Health Through Accepting Differences and Embracing Uniqueness:

• Accepting differences and embracing uniqueness can lead to a stress-free and resilient mental state.
• Developing self-worth and confidence through acceptance contributes to enhanced mental well-being.