Our health is considered one luxury that money can’t buy and in 2020, as we experience a global pandemic, it’s no surprise that safety and wellbeing are at the forefront of all our conversations. As our homes have evolved into our shelters, offices, schools, playgrounds, daycare centres, gyms, watering holes, cafes, restaurants, and cinemas, we’re all struggling with keeping going in truly uncertain times. The National Alliance on Mental Illness immediately says the early months of the year saw “a spike in serious fear and stress” with Mental Health America reporting rises in clinical anxiety by 19% in the first weeks of February and depression by 12% in the first two weeks of March.

One of the key contributing factors to our stressload is work with one Forbes article saying that even prior to Covid-19, the U.S. had a workplace mental health crisis. One new study even goes so far as to say that “our mental health and mortality have a strong correlation with the amount of autonomy we have at our job, our workload and job demands, and our cognitive ability to deal with those demands.” While the World Health Organization defined stress as the Health Epidemic of the 21st Century, taking the time to look after our own health even if we’re not feeling stressed can shape our experiences as well as position us to manage risk factors that might cause other chronic illnesses further down the track. Keep mindful of the fact that even though work is not the only source of stress in our lives, our professional circumstances often involve contributing factors out of our control and can be tied to our financial stability, thus it makes sense to look at this as a starting point for stress.

This infographic, ‘The Negative Impact of Stress, is thanks to Study Medicine Europe who shared this to support you to learn more about holistic wellbeing in the short-term and long-term. In addition to explaining the overall physiological impacts of stress, the graphic provides key statistics with general information that is accessible for all people.

Remember that taking care of your health is about physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing with this guide part of equipping yourself to care for you as well as the people around you. As this time continues, you can use this information personally and professionally to keep going as well as pursue clinical and complementary services. Stay safe and best wishes to all of you for your health.