Stress in the dental practice: Many make reducing stress a New Year's resolution
Did you make some New Year’s resolutions this year? If you did, you’re certainly not alone. It is estimated that 45 percent of Americans make a list of things they want to change when the clock strikes midnight on January 1.
According to a Tell It Now poll by ComPsych (the world’s largest provider of employee assistance programs) shows that 39 percent of employees say losing weight is their top health concern while 26 percent say stress has them most worried.
To view the full survey, click here.
“Weight loss is, not surprisingly, the number one health concern this year,” said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and chief executive officer of ComPsych. “What is significant is that many more employees are aware of stress as a major contributor to health problems.”
Employees were asked: Which health issue are you most trying to stay ahead of this year?
39 percent said “weight loss”
26 percent said “stress”
17 percent said “exercise”
9 percent said “diet improvement”
6 percent said “quitting smoking”
3 percent said “other”
A recent study showed that many dental professionals face stress on a daily basis.
Part of the study above stated the following…
Nearly half of dentists (48%) listed running late as being their main cause of stress, followed by patient complaints (32%), compliance (30%), money (29%) and work-life balance (26%). Other significant causes of stress included conflicts between team members (21%), dealing with phobic or anxious patients (20%) and gappy appointment books (20%).
As a comparison, results for the team as a whole demonstrated that running late was the major cause of stress (52%), with conflicts between team members showing next at 32%, followed by work-life balance at 28%.
The stress suffered by dentists appears to cause a significant incidence of physical symptoms, with nearly a half (45%) suffering from insomnia; other significant symptoms include tiredness (43%), anxiety (40%), bruxism (31%), headaches (30%) and depression (27%) amongst others. Only 15% stated they had experienced no physical symptoms from their stress.
So what about you? What stresses you out and how do you cope with the stress? Here are some suggestions from WebMD.
What other remedies would you add to the list?
