Stress is becoming a part of everyday life, backed up by worry and fatigue. Thankfully, constant interventions are being created and offered for people who wish to carry on with a stress and worry-free day.
One type of intervention that has been proven effective are online mindfulness intervention courses. A recent study found that such intervention can significantly reduce fatigue and work-related rumination or worry. It can also improve sleep quality. This intervention requires only an average of two hours' worth training and practice every week.
The study was conducted by Surrey University's Dawn Querstret and Professor Mark Cropley, in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation.
According to the researchers, persistent work-related worry wherein people constantly engage in affective rumination, also known as having negative emotional thoughts, has always been associated with increased stress levels and work-related fatigue. The physical implications of stress can be debilitating to one's health and work productivity. This raises the concern of employers and the necessity of finding an intervention to help reduce pressure and worry related to work.
This study attempts to solve that by involving 127 participants in a four-week online mindfulness stress-reduction course. Participants were assigned randomly to either a control group or the intervention group, and their affective rumination, sleep, and fatigue levels were measured four times: pre and post treatment, and at three and six-month follow-ups.
Results revealed that the online intervention had a positive effect on affective rumination levels, fatigue, and sleep quality. Participants in the intervention group displayed lower rates in all three compared to the control group.
According to the researchers, mindfulness helps in developing awareness of thought and emotions. This awareness helps people make more effective choices and discern before responding in various situations.
Querstret and Cropley's study was presented at the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology annual conference.
