It's no surprise to read that not taking NEEDED time off work when you are sick could worsen your condition -- not to mention increase the risk of heart disease. It was also no shock that stress from work can worsen your already comprised state of health.

In fact, stress is a main reason why most illnesses develop in the first place. In nearly all of the patients I see, stress is a major factor in their illness, because it plays such a significant role in affecting how well the immune system functions.

Negative Impacts Due to Stress

• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol
• Brain chemistry
• Blood sugar levels

While many people believe that it is important to reduce stress in your life to lower your risk of developing stress-induced diseases and health conditions, this simply is not the case. Stress really isn't the problem here. If there were no stress in your life, you would die of boredom. The central issue is having the tools to actually transform the stress to a healthy response.

Please remember that the reason why exercise works is that it is a stress. Exercise tears down your body, but this breakdown actually makes your body stronger. Your body is designed on a use it or lose it principle. We actually need stress to make us healthier. I have always loved W. Clement Stone's perspective and used it for many years now.

He was an inverse paranoid. He believed the entire world was conspiring to make him happy and successful. For every apparently negative situation that occurred in his life he would seek to understand how that was helping make him a better person.

Remember that you cannot eliminate stress, and even if you could you wouldn't want to, as it would make you less healthy. So the central key here is to provide your body with proper tools to compensate for the bioelectrical short-circuiting that can cause serious disruption in many of your body's important systems. My favorite tool for increasing your ability to tolerate stress is the energy psychology tool known as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).

EFT is a psychological acupressure technique that can help you channel your stress-related thoughts and leave you feeling calmer and more able to face your challenges. You can use my free EFT manual to learn this technique, or you may consider my EFT Series on DVD or VHS. (Learn the EFT affirmation statements now!)

Another well-documented and effective strategy to address stress is meditation. The only problem with this otherwise helpful method is that many people struggle with doing it (with our hectic lives, it's not easy to sit and be still for any amount of time!), and it may take many years to develop a proficiency in which you are actually able to benefit from the technique. But, don't let this discourage you. Give mediation a try and see if it works for you.

In addition, I strongly encourage you to try out another of my favorite techniques, the Insight CD System, which is a rapid type of brainwave entrainment. The Insight CD allows you to achieve many of the benefits of meditation in a fraction of the time, and whether you are seeking to temper your perfectionism or simply reduce stress in your life, this CD system will help you reach your goal.

I strongly encourage you to consider adopting any of the above methods to cope with your feelings of stress so that you protect yourself from unnecessary harm to your health. If you already suffer from a health condition, these methods may also help to reduce your suffering and build up your immune system -- one of the keys to getting well soon.

Related Articles:

Beware of Colds If You Are Under Stress

Stress Affects Your Immune System: Clearly Defined Patterns Revealed

Spirituality Helps Cope With Illness

How to Stay Healthy While Working in an Office--Six Important Tips

Five Simple Strategies to Reduce Stress and Eliminate Exhaustion