The immune system and stress

The immune system and stress

The human body is not built for the stress, demands and tensions of the present time. That is why many people get a burn-out or are depressed. Stress also has a negative influence on our immune system.

Governmental plan needed to solve the stress problems

There is really a kind of governmental plan needed to solve the problems. Because twenty percent of people can not handle the information overload and the tensions and stress of this time. This leads to chronic hyperventilation, fatigue, burn-out and depression. There are alarm systems in your body, the activate if you are nervous or tense. This releases substances that cause a feeling of stress.

People often work out of guilt feelings during the evening and the weekend

Also the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs recently warned of stress. “It is a deep concern that people feel that they are never ready with work. It appears people stay in the ‘working mode’ in the evening and the weekend, out of guilt, or because they think that they should.”

“That is not a healthy situation” the minister writes. “Nobody gets sick of hard work. Too much work gets everyone sick.” He refers to the impact that stress has on our immune system. Research has shown that people with a lot of stress have a less effective immune system. and therefore get sick faster and more often.

people never feel like their work is never ready
people never feel like their work is never ready

The minister believes that employees, just like in France, should have the right to be unreachable for their boss after working hours. France has recorded this in the law this year. Companies with more than fifty employees must indicate when workers can turn off their phone.

Collective Problem

The authors of the book ‘From big bang to burn-out’ no longer see stress as a problem of an individual. The maxim “You are overstrained or have stress, so it is up to you” is false. Like “I have failed, I have not guarded my limits”. That way we fool ourselves. It is a collective problem that not only we ourselves, but also the government can do much about.

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