Photo: Springfield Wellness Centre

Faizel Patel – 17/10/2020

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)

An Intuitive practitioner at the Voice Clinic says the biggest contributor towards stress is perceived threat, which varies from person to person.

Gillian Vosloo was speaking to Radio Islam on Saturday about whether stress can lead to burnout and other illnesses.

The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa and across the globe have left many people feeling as if they have hit a burn out as 2020 continues to be a year that many would love to forget as it drags to a close.

A study released this week shows that almost 80% of South Africans are stressed.

Vosloo says there are varying levels of stress and research shows that job loss, death of a loved one, moving house, divorce and major illness can be extremely stressful.

However, she says that the Coronavirus pandemic has affected everyone.

“In my opinion, for South Africans this year, COVID-19 has been the biggest stress factor. We have faced challenges as individuals, family, society within business and as a country as a whole.”

Vosloo says chronic stress can have a severe impact on the mind and body.

“Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body, suppressing the immune system, digestive and reproductive system and the nervous system. So if you are frequently finding yourself frazzled, overwhelmed, it’s time to take action, to bring your nervous system back into balance.”

Among the many advices that Vosloo has shared on Radio Islam about managing stress, she says people should engage in about 10 to 15 minutes of deep mindful breathing or diaphragmatic intercostal breathing.

Listen to the interview with Gillian Vosloo