We all know that stress takes a toll on our mental and physical health. It can raise blood pressure, cause weight gain, headaches, digestive trouble, restless sleep—and it can aggravate existing health conditions.
Stress relief looks different for everyone. If you try to make someone else’s ideal stress relief work for you, you might wind up even more stressed out. As part of our commitment to helping people live healthier lives, we’re proud to offer John Hancock Vitality with all life insurance policies. Vitality offers an array of benefits to help motivate you to move more, eat better, and stress less—in whatever way works best for you.
Let’s find your stress relief technique. Which of these sounds most like you?
Does the very idea of sitting still and breathing deeply make you anxious? If that sounds like you, consider an active, aerobic exercise like running or dancing to de-stress. If you’d rather escape the sound of your own thoughts for an hour, maybe a martial arts class will work: Tai chi is low-impact, easy on the joints, and increases flexibility while decreasing stress. With the chill-out factor of meditation, plus constant motion, the Mayo Clinic suggests yoga as an excellent stress management tool.¹
You’re a nurturer—which is wonderful, but it means that you’re carrying your own stress and everyone else’s, too. For you, a solitary activity might be best. Meditation is relaxing—and some studies suggest that practicing daily can actually change your neural pathways and better enable you to process stress.²
With John Hancock Vitality, you can get rewarded for meditating. Earn points for meditating for as little as 10 minutes a day—and see where your practice takes you from there.
If you’re a natural problem-solver, being in control is important to you, and starting to feel stressed can become its own vicious cycle. Stress makes you stressed, so to speak. You’d be wise to get some aerobic exercise in your daily routine, but changing your diet will make a greater impact. Eating swiss chard, for example, will increase your intake of natural magnesium, which can help balance cortisol—the “stress hormone.” According to The Food Network, omega-3 fats in fish like salmon, and small portions of chocolate, can manage adrenaline and stress, too. Green veggies like broccoli and asparagus are essential—they contain healthy doses of folic acid, which has been shown to optimize cognitive functions.³
John Hancock Vitality offers savings of up to $120 a month on weekly promoted healthier food items, plus additional savings of up to $600 yearly on fresh produce for Vitality PLUS members. It’s part of our HealthyFood™ benefit—which also gives you Vitality points for packing your grocery bags with healthier items. Those are points you can use towards more discounts and rewards later on.
Colin DeYoung, a psychology professor at the University of Minnesota, believes that introverts respond differently to rewards. The same things that motivate extroverts may exhaust an introvert.4 And as any introvert knows, there’s nothing as stressful as time in a crowd, with no chance to recharge.
If you feel more “rewarded” by time alone, take it. Find a time that you can be unreachable, except in case of emergencies. Put that time on your calendar if you need to, and stick to it. Turn off your phone. Consider a pair of noise-cancelling headphones to completely drown out any stimulation from the outside world. Then just breathe.
Health has many connected facets: emotional, mental, physical, and financial. And however you like to rest and recharge, John Hancock is here for you—to help relieve financial pressures, while working together towards better physical and mental health.
This material is not intended to provide advice. It is intended to promote awareness and is for educational purposes only.
Citations:
¹ Mayo Clinic: "Yoga: Fight stress and find serenity." by Mayo Clinic Staff, December 29, 2020 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/yoga/art-20044733
² WebMD: "10 Relaxation techniques that zap stress fast." by Jeannette Moninger, December 10, 2017 https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/blissing-out-10-relaxation-techniques-reduce-stress-spot#1
³ Food Network: "10 Top foods for stress relief." by Food Network Staff, https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy/photos/top-10-foods-for-stress-relief
4 Behavioral and Brain Sciences: “Neurobiology of the structure of personality: Dopamine, facilitation of incentive motivation, and extraversion.” Richard A. Depue & Paul F. Collins, 1999, http://www.philipcorr.net/uploads/downloads/101.pdf
HealthyFood savings are based on qualifying purchases and may vary based on the terms of the John Hancock Vitality Program. The HealthyFood program is currently not available in Guam.
Vitality is the provider of the John Hancock Vitality Program in connection with Life insurance policies issued by John Hancock. Vitality Rewards may vary based on the type of insurance policy purchased for the insured (Vitality Program Member) and the state where the insurance policy was issued. John Hancock Vitality Program rewards and discounts are only available to the person insured under the eligible life insurance policy. Rewards and discounts are subject to change and are not guaranteed to remain the same for the life of the policy.
Insurance policies and/or associated riders and features may not be available in all states. Insurance products are issued by: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA 02116 (not licensed in New York) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, NY 10595.
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