Category Archives: Stress Management

SEO Positive Reviews Company Branding for 2012

Posted by on November 29, 2011 1 comment

SEO Positive Reviews Company Branding for 2012











Dominate the search engines with SEO Positive


(PRWEB UK) 24 November 2011

As an internet marketing company dedicated to its own personal reputation, SEO Positive plans to revise the entire look and feel of its website in the next few months in a bid to amaze prospective (and existing) clients.

Work is already underway to re-design seopositiveltd.co.uk and the creative team hope to launch the spruced-up page in January 2012. A number of key issues will be addressed in line with the latest SEO updates as well as all web compliancy regulations.

Many would argue that the website already looks clean and crisp is incredibly easy to use, but Peter Andrease, Head of Design at SEO Positive, is quick to stress that improvements can always be made.

“The web is changing fast and if we are to stay on top of our competitors we need to adapt to the latest developments”, Peter states. “This doesn’t just mean adding in extra pieces of code here and there. We need to regularly look at our image and branding and evaluate everything that leaves an impression with our visitors. Certain elements of web design go in and out of fashion and we need to make sure our site remains modern and inviting”.

SEO Positive boasts a dedicated in-house marketing division which edits and improves the website on an almost day to day basis. The team are responsible for maintaining the internal link structure of the site, updating blogs and tutorials and testing the accessibility and functionality of the pages.

This rebranding initiative comes at a crucial time for the agency. The team are looking to offer comprehensive re-branding packages alongside their traditional search engine optimisation to cater for the increasing demand for stand-alone design services. The company is constantly looking to realise their vision for their own firm’s online branding and believe that presenting a professional, commercial image to users is central to their success if they are to lead by example.

SEO Positive was established in 2007 in Chelmsford, Essex with the aim of bringing effective yet affordable online marketing services to companies from all industries and backgrounds. The SEO agency offers a huge range of services including search engine optimisation, Pay Per Click account management, social media marketing and website design.

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa Opens its Third Monmouth County Location in Aberdeen, New Jersey

Posted by on November 26, 2011 1 comment

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa Opens its Third Monmouth County Location in Aberdeen, New Jersey












Hamilton, NJ (PRWEB) November 22, 2011

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa just opened its third location in Monmouth County in Aberdeen, New Jersey at 1121 State Route 34 in the Regent Shopping Center, also home to Stop & Shop, Bed Bath & Beyond and GameStop.

“We see the towns in Monmouth County such as Aberdeen as a prime market for our brand’s development,” said Todd Leff, CEO and President of Hand & Stone. “We are pleased to have Jeff and Ken Silbert continue to lead our brand with top-tier services and integrity in Monmouth County.”

The Silberts come from a strong business background where Ken was a senior managing partner with Accenture and Jeff leads his own advisory firm helping ambitious business owners scale their companies. With decades of combined business experience and different strengths, the brothers desired to go into business together. Ken will use his operations experience to guide them while Jeff will focus on business development for Hand & Stone.

The brother franchisee team will lead the development of 10 new locations in North Jersey. The Aberdeen location is the second new opening under their expansion plans. It opened only weeks after their first spa opened in the town of Emerson in Bergen County.

Proving that massage therapy isn’t just for the rich and famous anymore, the new Hand & Stone will erase what once was considered a penchant of the affluent by offering services to all levels of consumers.

“I’m thrilled to be opening our second Hand & Stone Spa in Aberdeen,” said Jeff Silbert, co-owner of the new location. “I am looking forward to bringing affordable and effective massage and facial services to the community of Aberdeen and its neighboring towns such as Holmdel, Marlboro and Matawan.”

Launched in 2005 by John Marco, a physical therapist with 20 years of experience, Hand & Stone’s mission is to bring massage therapy to the masses. Clients enjoy the treatment, but “most aren’t just coming for the indulgence,” Leff said. “They’re coming for stress reduction and pain relief, with many coming based on the suggestion of their doctors.”

Under the new provisions of the recently-passed health care bill, alternative medical procedures, including massages from licensed therapists at spas like Hand & Stone, are being taken more seriously by the traditional medical community. According to Leff, about 75 percent of health savings account plans and HMOs will now reimburse patients for massage therapy if their doctor writes a formal prescription. Ailments worthy of that prescription include muscle and joint pain, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (commonly known as TMJ), and stress. According to the 2010 AMTA Industry Report, massage use among older Baby Boomers (ages 55-64) has doubled in the past ten years and use among those older than 65 has tripled during that same time.

While the typical massage client used to have to track down a freelance massage therapist, schedule an appointment days in advance, and pay over $ 100 for a one-hour treatment, most Hand & Stone clients book their appointments on the same day as their service and pay 30 percent less than the traditional hourly rate. Better yet, when they sign up for a one-session-per-month plan, they end up paying around $ 60 per visit.

The average customer isn’t a wealthy socialite with nothing better to do, she’s a 42-year-old female with an annual household income of $ 65,000, has children and loves to shop at Target and Kohls. With that busy, overscheduled lifestyle, it’s not surprising that the number one reason clients visit Hand and Stone is for stress reduction. Hand & Stone’s clientele is roughly 70 percent female, 30 percent male, with an increasing number of male patrons.

As massage spas become more mainstream in the health care industry, Hand & Stone stays at the top of the game by adding locations and services to keep the brand fresh. That strategy has proven to be successful, as the addition of facials and waxing to the services roster has boosted the average comparable store sales by over 30 percent during this past year, in a very tough economic environment. After awarding a record 40 new franchises in 2010, Hand and Stone is on pace to sign another 50 new franchisees to the Hand & Stone system this year, each one investing a total of around $ 325,000, including franchise fees, to outfit a suburban, strip-mall location with space for at least 10 massage rooms.

“Over twenty percent of Americans got a massage in 2010, and that figure is growing. As massage becomes a more integrated part of health care, we see this business achieving even wider-spread growth and longevity,” said Leff.

ABOUT HAND & STONE

Hand & Stone is a 50-plus unit massage and facial spa franchise with a mission to bring massage and facial services to the masses, meeting demand of consumers who wish to receive the long term health benefits of these services. Launched in 2005 by a passionate physical therapist, John Marco and now led by franchise veteran Todd Leff, Hand & Stone now has locations in 12 states and Canada with plans to open an additional 15 locations by the end of 2011. For more information on Hand & Stone, visit http://www.handandstone.com.

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







“Stress-proof your Life” – New Book A Breakthrough Approach to Conquer the Effects of Chronic Stress

Posted by on November 17, 2011 1 comment

“Stress-proof your Life” – New Book A Breakthrough Approach to Conquer the Effects of Chronic Stress










Hoboken, NJ (PRWEB) April 9, 2006

Patrick S Keeley MF Phys, ABH, SNLP, announces his new book and seminar, “Stress-proof your life.” This revolutionary plan is not a stress management program. Rather than seeking to manage stress it goes beyond the thousands of stress management programs available by combining mind and body techniques to combat the health problems caused by chronic stress.

Based on the new discipline of psychophysical medicine, “Stress-proof your life” provides the reader with a set of tools that eliminate the deadly effects of chronic stress altogether. It explains the psychophysical connection that lies at the root of chronic stress and demonstrates the techniques that can be used to beat it.

“It’s time we put the old stress management paradigm behind us and start eliminating chronic stress as a health issue, for good” says Keeley.

The book is based on Keeley’s simple to follow three step plan that his clients’ use to overcome their health problems caused by the stress of daily life. Through a highly effective set of objectives that are readily attainable the plan will:


    Re-balance blood sugar levels

    Replenish depleted brain neurotransmitters

    Build a strong and stress-proof body

    Install positive thought processes and help remove negative patterns

Originally trained in physical therapy, Keeley later switched to Psychology, and in particular behavioral therapy, to get to the heart of the often deadly effects of chronic stress that his patients exhibited. Having suffered himself for some time with stress related illness, he realized that traditional stress management classes and programs were not preventing or curing the severe health problems caused by chronic stress. Using nutritional supplementation, cutting edge audio technology and easy physical exercises, this plan succeeds where traditional stress management programs fail.

Stress-proof your life is available in a variety of formats from the self-help book, one on one sessions with a stress-proof coach or full day’s corporate seminar.

For information: http://www.stressproofyourlife.com or

Contact: info @ stressproofyourlife.com

Phone: 201-963-4986

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







The Effects of a Bad Economy on Heart Health?and How to Reduce your Risk, from Harvard Medical School

Posted by on October 15, 2011 1 comment

The Effects of a Bad Economy on Heart Health—and How to Reduce your Risk, from Harvard Medical School










Boston, MA (PRWEB) September 14, 2011

Stress can be hard on the heart—including the stress of financial problems or a demanding job. A newly revised Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School, Heart Disease: A guide to preventing and treating coronary artery disease, describes ways to cope with stress and protect your heart—whether the stress is financial or from another source.

New research has identified financial stress as particularly hard on the heart. For example, heart attacks rose as the stock market crashed in 2008 and 2009. And a 2011 study found a nearly 70% higher risk of heart disease among people who worked an average of 11 hours per weekday, compared with those who worked seven to eight hours per day.

On the other hand, just as increased stress can harm the heart, learning how to cope with stress may be able to help it. Here are just a few of the tips for coping with stress found in Heart Disease: A guide to preventing and treating coronary artery disease:


    Get enough sleep. Lack of sound sleep can affect your mood and physical health.

    Exercise. Physical activity alleviates stress, reduces your risk of becoming depressed, and improves your heart health.

    Learn relaxation techniques. Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, deep breathing exercises, and yoga are mainstays of stress relief. Check with your local hospital, community center, or gym to see if they offer classes.

    Nurture yourself. Truly savor the pleasant experiences of life, such as eating a delicious food or taking a walk. For example, focus on each bite of that orange, or soak up the warm rays of the sun during a walk outdoors.

    Cultivate friendships. Having friends you can do relaxing activities with and talk to can be extremely helpful in blowing off steam.

A modest but encouraging body of scientific evidence shows that learning to de-stress has cardiovascular benefits, such as lowering blood pressure. And people who had heart disease who took part in programs that combined healthy eating, exercising, and stress management appeared to have better cardiac function afterwards, though more study is needed to confirm these results.

Also in this report:

    Reducing your risk factors for heart disease
    Diagnosing heart problems
    Medications and procedures for the heart

Heart Disease: A guide to preventing and treating coronary artery disease is available for $ 18 from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School. Order it online at http://www.health.harvard.edu/Heart2011 or by calling 877–649–9457 (toll-free).

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







Thousands Escape Stress at StressHoliday.com

Posted by on July 31, 2011 1 comment

Thousands Escape Stress at StressHoliday.com










Fairfield, CT (PRWEB) March 9, 2005

They come from all over the world, from all walks of life, proof that today’s rampant stress epidemic has no borders and discriminates against no one. And they arrive at http://www.stressholiday.com with just one thing in mind. Relief. Relief from the oppressive stress, anxiety and clutter that’s robbing them of happiness and peace of mind.

It comes in the form of incisively worded stress tips that break through the clichés and platitudes one usually hears (or doesn’t hear) to grab attention, provoke action and actually reverse the stressful habits and mind sets we develop over the course of our lives.

For example, there are specific stress reduction strategies for job stress, parenting stress, student stress, financial stress, household stress, travel stress, diet stress, relationship stress, and other key areas. Visitors will find a brand-new stress relief strategy each weekday, called Today’s Stress Tip, as well as recommended stress books, stress and health products, stress workshops, and more. They can also elect to have their daily stress tips delivered free by email.

The stress management techniques posted at http://www.stressholiday.com are written by nationally known author and stress coach G. Gaynor McTigue — based on his book Why Make Yourself Crazy? — which was featured on the cover of Publishers Weekly, quoted in Woman’s Day Magazine and other publications, and discussed on talk shows across America. StressHoliday.com is a service of the book’s publisher, Pick Me Up Books, whose name for the site suggests an oasis where frazzled people can embark on a permanent holiday from stress.

Contact: Jerry McTigue

Company: Pick Me Up Books

Telephone: 203-254-7789

Email: jerrym321@aol.com

URL: http://www.stressholiday.com

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







Manage Stress Within 48 Hours for Stress Awareness Month

Posted by on July 31, 2011 1 comment

Manage Stress Within 48 Hours for Stress Awareness Month











Stress Management Book


Orangeville, ON (PRWEB) April 7, 2010

April is Stress Awareness Month. It is sponsored by the Health Resource Network, a non-profit education network consisting of educators and health professionals. Stress Awareness Day is April 16th. Some key facts about stress:

·     75% of the general population experience at least “some stress” every two weeks (National Health Interview Survey).

·     There is no such thing as “good” or “healthy” stress; all stressors are bad for you.

·     Millions of Americans suffer from unhealthy levels of stress at work.

·     Tranquilizers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications are responsible for one fourth of all prescriptions in the U.S. every year.

Source: Health Resource Network

Most people don’t know how easy it is to reduce stress levels. Yourbrain Media has released a downloadable E-Book, 48 Hour Stress Management, which will help to reduce stress through proven techniques used by professionals that have to deal with high-stress situations daily.

48 Hour Stress Management delivers a short-term plan to drastically reduce stress levels within 48 hours, using cutting edge techniques such as yoga and self-hypnosis.

Brad Gosse, founder of Yourbrain Media and SEO expert, is no stranger to stress:

“After following just a few of the techniques mentioned in this book, my stress levels were reduced significantly. Now all it takes is a few minutes in the morning with some of the professional exercises to keep my stress levels low throughout the day. My daily routine used to stress me out; now I look forward to it every day!”

48 Hour Stress Management doesn’t simply give band-aid techniques to manage stress levels; it digs down deep into the issues that are causing stress, for far less than the cost of a psychiatrist or medication.

About Yourbrain Media:

Yourbrain Media has been driving successful website development and online advertising since the early days of the internet. 48 Hour Stress Management is its latest cutting-edge E-Book.

Contact:

Brad Gosse, Yourbrain Media Inc.

519-925-9856

http://www.48hourstressmanagement.com/

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







Prescriptions for Stress

Posted by on July 31, 2011 1 comment

Prescriptions for Stress











Don’t let financial stress harm your health.

Newburgh, NY (Vocus) October 7, 2008

It’s no secret. America is in the midst of one of the most stressful times in its history. High gas prices, stock market instability, and rising costs of everything from phone bills to electric to food — all of these factors contribute to increased stress. And with growing stress levels come various health concerns related to how a person handles that stress. In addition to physical aches and pains, stress creates mental and emotional problems which can, and do, lead to sickness in the body.

With winter approaching, licensed chiropractor Dr. Richard A. Huntoon of Advanced Alternative Medicine Center advises Americans that now is the time to plan ahead to take care of their wellbeing during these times of high stress. Dr. Huntoon offers a free weekly health class and is a contributor on current issues in alternative healthcare to a variety of media. Listeners can hear Doc Rick on the Joe Daily Show on 92.1 Litefm.

Dr. Huntoon recommends the following six easy things stressed people can do to assist their bodies in handling stress more effectively and maintaining a high level of health.

Drink more water — As stress levels increase, the body burns more water in an effort to manage the stress. Drinking more water on a regular basis will eliminate the often unseen effects of dehydration on the body.

Find an outlet for stress — Exercise has been shown to be a great outlet. Focused physical activity helps keep the body functioning in a balanced fashion. Do some sort of aerobic activity for a minimum of 40 minutes, four times a week. For those who can’t find the time, they’re already too stressed.

Do some writing or journaling — Jotting down feelings will help people understand what they are thinking and what is stressing them. By expressing stress through writing, a person gains clarity. Many times, it will help to see the stress for what it is — an illusion — and help lose it then and there.

Get proper amounts of sleep — Using sleep aid drugs is not a good method as they create other imbalances within the body. Many times writing will help a person fall asleep more easily. Avoid watching the news, as this fills head with all the negativity of the world and can increase stress, making it harder to fall asleep.

Consider your diet — Eating foods of higher quality helps the brain to be more efficient. Avoid processed foods, such as fast food, as these obstruct the body’s balance.

Take the time to get looked at regularly — Visit a professional who can help develop a plan to deal with stress. Getting regular treatment helps to relieve anxiety. Managing the effects of stress on the physical body, and discussing what is going on mentally and emotionally, will go a long way toward eliminating negative effects. Eliminating stress and therefore, its negative effects, will allow life to move forward in a healthier fashion.

For the thousands of people for whom stress is a problem, time must be taken to develop a plan to deal with it. Economic stress and its many ramifications are not likely to subside soon. For a person suffering from stress, taking the time to help him or her self on a regular basis is the most important thing one can do.

Dr. Richard Huntoon is a licensed chiropractor with offices at Advanced Alternative Medicine Center, 320 Robinson Avenue, Newburgh, NY 12550 (http://www.spineboy.com), where he offers a free weekly health class on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Huntoon also talks about health care on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning and Tuesdays through Fridays in the evenings on 92.1 Lite FM, a Clear Channel radio station. He can be reached at 845.561.BACK (2225), or by email at docrick @ spineboy.com.

Photo courtesy of Dana Bartekoske. Additional photos available at http://www.dreamstime.com/Danabeth555_info.

Press Contact:

Catherine Gonick

Email: Cgonick @ MarketingWorksNow.com

Tel: 845.265.7000

MKTworks, Inc.

292 Main Street, Cold Spring, NY 10516

Fax: 845.231.4061

On the Web at: http://www.MarketingWorksNow.com

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







Get Your Weekly ‘Success with Stress News’ — Articles on Stress and its Solutions — In Your Email Inbox

Posted by on July 31, 2011 1 comment

Get Your Weekly ‘Success with Stress News’ — Articles on Stress and its Solutions — In Your Email Inbox












Carcassonne, France (PRWEB) July 14, 2010

The Weekly ‘Success with Stress News’ draws its content from a wide range of sources keeping readers informed about the latest breakthroughs, research and good news about how to live through and overcome the multiple pressures of modern life.

The new site springs from its mother site, http://www.success-with-stress.com/stress-news.html, where readers will find previous stress articles in issues stored by date and topic.

As self-healing author Louis Proto says, “Healing oneself is an individual process.” So, watch the video at the Home Page of the mother site, http://www.success-with-stress.com, to find details of a myriad of free active and passive exercises for each person to choose from according to their needs, including an non-exhaustive list of free: Relaxation Tools, Breathing Exercises, Meditation Processes, Financial Solutions, Stress Relief Exercises, Illustrated Psycho-Physical Exercises, a Free Exercise Program, etc.

It’s very important, even crucial for a person to have practical strategies available to maintain their equilibrium and well-being in difficult times. According to the famous author Leslie Kenton: “Being in control really works when dealing with stress. People who feel in control of a situation experience a sense of empowerment. Helplessness leads to anxiety and then to depression.”

So, the self-help methods Francoise Bonhoure offers are varied — but by no means always conventional — and are geared to meet our different, individual requirements, according to what we need at any particular time.

She calls these, ‘Unique Solutions to Transform Stress into Well-Being’. To have a taste, here are some of them:


Shaking and Breathing Exercise Video
7-Day Free Exercise Program Video
Free Guided Self Massage Video
And there’s much more, for you to start dealing with stress effectively.

These methods are there for your support — a compendium of what others have found and are finding helps them to feel better and, in many cases, cures them.

So, in a nutshell:

From Success with Stress News: Visitors Have Access to Weekly Updates on Stress Management, Cures, Tips, Etc. in Your Email Inbox.

From the Main Site, Success-with-Stress: You Can Read All Past News Updates, PLUS Choose from a Wide-Ranging Compendium of Solutions for Stress Management.

Francoise Bonhoure

– 33 468 24 77 89

– 10, Rue du Château

11270 – La Force – France

http://www.successwithstressnews.com


Having suffered from Stress all her life in one form or another, Francoise Bonhoure, owner/manager of the sites, has encountered a lot of different approaches and has experimented with a large amount of methods in her endeavour to ‘get better’ and she did this for many years, discovering and integrating them into her understanding and way of life.

She trained in and taught active and passive methods to reduce and cure stress, including becoming a certified Tai Chi and Chi Kung teacher with the French Federation of Tai Chi Chuan, having studied for 3 years at the Qimetao Institute, Paris, France. She is also a qualified Massage therapist and Dance Meditation teacher, teaching these methods in South-East France for ten years.

She now offers these and any new discoveries and updates, online, via her 2 websites, enjoying sharing and finding what she describes as “Unique Solutions to Transform Stress into Well-Being”.

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







The Stress Number(TM) Report for March 2011

Posted by on April 30, 2011 1 comment

The Stress Number(TM) Report for March 2011











Stress Test – The Oxygen Plan


Minneapolis, Minnesota (PRWEB) April 25, 2011

Employee stress drains $ 400 billion a year from U.S. employers–yet many organizations do not fully understand the damage stress causes to their profit margins, employee productivity levels and employee health. In an ongoing study of Stress in America, The Oxygen Plan Corporation reports the March 2011 findings of the new health metric – The Stress Number™. To date, over 42,000 respondents have completed the 30 question The Oxygen Plan Stress Test to assess their individual stress. The stress test has 10 questions for home, work and social stress. The scoring for each question ranges 0 – 100, whereby a score of 0 means extreme stress (red), to 100, meaning stress free (green).

Key March Findings: “More Stress at Home”

Basis 1,984 respondents to The Oxygen Plan’s Stress Test, the March Stress Number™ for home, work and social stress are 46, 52 and 53, respectively. “Clearly, scores are toward the lower end of the scale. This is especially true for the home domain,” says Dr. Donald E. Williams, board-certified clinical health psychologist (American Board of Professional Psychology/ABPP), and Chief Science Officer, The Oxygen Plan. “So, there is bad news – as a group, scores are low. While still yellow, the home score, in particular, reflects a downward trend. Perhaps, as one might expect, the stresses of work, the economy and dwindling social support are showing up at home. Combined, the scores indicate stress, and its ill effects on our home, work and social lives, and on and our health, remains a serious issue.”

A “Stress Number™” can also be an aggregated measure of the stress affecting an organization’s workforce. Two new research papers from The Oxygen Plan urge employers to learn the Stress Number™ for their employees and employee groups to help them develop an effective stress management program.

The impact of stress in the U.S. workplace is bad news for employers as it manifests in lost productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, group health expense, employee turnover and disability expenses. “Many organizations invest in resources like EAPs, work-life programs and policies, and health and wellness programs,” said Dr. Williams, “but many are unaware of their employees’ actual stress levels, how much of their stress is job-related or the root causes of their stress.” “Stress diminishes the engagement and effectiveness of a workforce, erodes workers’ physical and emotional health, and drives up medical and insurance costs,” adds Eric Lucas, CEO of The Oxygen Plan Corporation.

“With the Stress Number™, it is now possible to measure, compute, aggregate, report, and trend a stress metric as it relates to personal health or organizational cost,” says Dr. Williams. “Now, we are able to assess stress, calculate the Stress Number™, provide The Oxygen Plan program and re-measure stress for individuals or organizations. The Stress Number™ is a significant development in the field of health metrics.” “We feel the Stress Number™ should be used to help individuals and organizations manage health and health care costs – just like blood pressure and BMI,” adds Eric Lucas, Founder and CEO of The Oxygen Plan. “Because stress in the home or social life impacts employees at work, and vice versa, it’s in employers’ best interest to know the aggregate Stress Number™ for their employee populations and get a line of sight into root causes.”

About The Oxygen Plan

The Oxygen Plan is a new patent-pending behavior change program designed to help people recognize and reduce stress, live healthier, happier lives while helping employers lower health care costs and improve productivity and employee engagement. The Oxygen Plan, co-developed by Eric Lucas and Dr. Williams, is the only stress reduction program to use a simple green, yellow, red color coding to easily facilitate stress recognition and behavior change for individuals and organizations. For more information visit http://www.theoxygenplan.com.

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







The Stress Number(TM) Report for April 2011

Posted by on April 17, 2011 1 comment

The Stress Number(TM) Report for April 2011













Stress Test – The Oxygen Plan


Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) June 01, 2011

Employee stress drains $ 400 billion a year from U.S. employers–yet many organizations do not fully understand the damage stress causes to their profit margins, employee productivity levels and employee health. In an ongoing study of Stress in America, The Oxygen Plan Corporation reports the April 2011 findings of the new health metric – the Stress Number™. To date, over 49,000 respondents have completed the 30 question, 5 minute The Oxygen Plan Stress Test to assess their individual stress. The stress test has 10 questions for home, work and social stress. The scoring for each question ranges 0 – 100, whereby a score of 0 means extreme stress (red), to 100, meaning stress free (green).

Key April Findings: “Still Stressed But Heading In The Right Direction”

A total of 2,942 respondents completed The Oxygen Plan’s Stress Test in April. The resulting Stress Number™ for home is 49, followed by work and social stress at 54 for both dimensions. “Clearly, scores are in the yellow – indicating there is a lot of stress out there. Overall, the Stress Number™ for each life dimension, home, work and social, has deteriorated since we initiated this study in September 2009,” says Dr. Donald E. Williams, board-certified clinical health psychologist (American Board of Professional Psychology/ABPP), and Chief Science Officer, The Oxygen Plan. “Having said that, these are the best Stress Number™ scores that we have seen in recent months for home, work and social stress and find the data slightly encouraging.” Versus last month, the Stress Number™ scores for home, work and social stress were improved by 3, 2, and 1 point. “This is the first time we have ever seen an across the board improvement. The 3 point jump in the home Stress Number™ is the best single month improvement since we have been conducting our research.” Combined, the Stress Number™ scores indicate stress, and its ill effects on our home, work and social lives, and on and our health, remains a serious issue.”

A “Stress Number™” can also be an aggregated measure of the employee stress affecting an organization’s workforce. Three new research papers from The Oxygen Plan Corporation urge employers to learn the Stress Number™ for their employees and employee groups to help them develop an effective stress management program and how to optimize their Employee Assistance Program.

The impact of stress in the U.S. workplace is bad news for employers as it manifests in lost productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, group health expense, employee turnover and disability expenses. “Many organizations invest in resources like EAPs, work-life programs and policies, and health and wellness programs,” said Dr. Williams. “These are essential but reactive initiatives. Many organizations are unaware of their employees’ actual stress levels, how much of their stress is job-related, the root causes of their stress, or that they can be proactive in terms of addressing the very real problems and associated costs.” “Stress diminishes the engagement and effectiveness of a workforce, erodes workers’ physical and emotional health, and drives up medical and insurance costs,” adds Eric Lucas, CEO of The Oxygen Plan Corporation.

“With the Stress Number™, it is now possible to measure, compute, aggregate, report, and trend a stress metric as it relates to personal health or organizational cost,” says Dr. Williams. “Now, we are able to assess stress, calculate the Stress Number™, provide The Oxygen Plan program and re-measure stress for individuals or organizations. The Stress Number™ is a significant development in the field of health metrics.” “We feel the Stress Number™ should be used to help individuals and organizations manage health and health care costs – just like blood pressure and BMI,” adds Lucas. “Because stress in the home or social life impacts employees at work, and vice versa, it’s in employers’ best interest to know the aggregate employee Stress Number™ for their organization and get a line of sight into root causes.”

About The Oxygen Plan

The Oxygen Plan is a revolutionary new behavior change program designed to help employees recognize and reduce stress, live healthier, happier lives while helping employers lower health care costs, improve productivity and strengthen employee engagement. The Oxygen Plan, co-developed by Dr. Donald E. Williams, board-certified clinical health psychologist (American Board of Professional Psychology/ABPP), and Chief Science Officer and Founder, Eric Lucas, is the only stress reduction program to use a patent-pending green, yellow, red color coding to easily facilitate stress recognition and behavior change for individuals and organizations. The Oxygen Plan is also the home of the Stress Number™, the new health metric, and first to quantify stress levels. For more information visit http://www.theoxygenplan.com.

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.