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You have been out of balance for a while.
If you’ve received a RED light, there’s a serious issue at hand. You probably already notice that things are not going well. You may be sleeping less, needing more time to rest, experiencing reduced concentration, being more irritable, etc. You’ve been sacrificing your energy balance for a while. The stress-related symptoms can stem from your personal life, work, or both.
Take action!
The important message of this RED result is that you need to take action! Chronic stress leads to an overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol, which has a negative impact on your mind and body. You can start taking action on your own to reduce the symptoms caused by chronic stress:
- Talk to others about how you are feeling.
- Make time in your schedule for recovery and rest.
- Go outside every day, take a walk, for example. Without a specific purpose. So, not walking and running errands at the same time. Just walk to be outside and let the natural surroundings help you slow down.
- Listen to or create music that makes you feel calmer. If every stimulus is too much for you right now, then, of course, don’t do it, but consider it when you’re feeling a bit better.
- Do something good that makes you feel good about yourself. Something good for yourself, or something good for someone else. Even holding a door open for someone else can help.
- Ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Go to bed on time. Don’t use coffee or alcohol beforehand. Turn off the screen of your mobile phone, tablet, or TV well in advance.
Begin treatment
People with a red score have ignored stress signals from their body and mind for an extended period. They often do this because they have certain beliefs about ‘how it should be’:
- I have to succeed
- I have to help
- I can not fail
- I must not disappoint anyone, etc.
These are beliefs that don’t help you take good care of yourself and lead to repeatedly pushing past your limits. Once is not a big deal, but if it happens frequently you’re depleting yourself. To recover and avoid falling into the same trap of these beliefs later on, treatment is necessary. Often, that is cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy aimed at changing unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors. It focuses on identifying and addressing negative thoughts and behavior patterns that cause problems. It involves techniques to recognize, understand, and change these thoughts and behaviors, often through discussions, exercises, and homework assignments. The goal is to help you learn new, healthier ways of thinking and behaving, enabling you to take better care of yourself. Therefore, get in touch with your general practitioner/ company doctor, or the therapist you are already in contact with. Bring your result with you to the appointment.
You might receive an RED light risk score and also score red or orange on certain aspects of psychosocial workload. If that’s the case, you already noticed it while completing the questionnaire. You will find all scores in your downloaded PDF-file. It’s important to discuss these results with your manager and/or company doctor to ensure that your balance is sustainably restored.