Reduce stress with a simple intervention
Reduce stress with a simple intervention
Clear your mind…the rest will follow
A mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention, shortened so it could be done in the workplace, was done on healthy employees for a six-week period, with researchers measuring salivary cortisol each week. They discovered that this simple intervention significantly reduced stress and aided sleep for workers.1
Maryanna D. Klatt, PhD, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of clinical allied medicine at Ohio State University in Columbus, says she was not surprised with the positive outcomes. "I know the difference that mindfulness has made in my own life. But I was surprised by the sleep outcomes," she says. "If people are truly getting to sleep faster, and are more awake during the work day, then this was better than I hoped for!"
Klatt says that she is convinced that most working people could benefit from a way to "restructure how they experience stress, and that is exactly what mindfulness does. The 'low-dose' version enables real people to take advantage of the benefits that mindfulness affords."
Klatt adds that occupational health professionals can take advantage of this intervention themselves to reduce stress. She is currently planning a study involving nurses who need some strategies to help themselves stay healthy. "It is so common for caregivers to put their own needs last. This program helps people recognize the importance of valuing your own health," she says.
To teach this to employees, you would need to receive training in mindfulness-based stress reduction. However, Klatt says that the cost of the program itself is minimal, consisting of the cost of paying a teacher for the brief weekly sessions. "It is low cost for sure. The yield here is just wonderful for the cost," says Klatt. "To me, that is the strength of the approach."
Reference
- Klatt MD, Buckworth J, Malarkey WB. Effects of low-dose mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR-ld) on working adults. Health Educ Behav 2009; 36 (3):601-614.
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