Medical Info

Stress. Everyone experiences it, but not everyone understands how devastating stress can be to the mind and body. The modern world expects human beings to run like machines, without rest, recreation, or relaxation, and although modern conveniences have removed many forms of physical labor from our daily tasks, the number of tasks we perform each day has increased exponentially. Many people get fewer than six hours of sleep a night, eat poorly while “on the go,” and compensate for sleep deprivation, irritability, anxiety, and other maladies of stress with caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs.

Stress is detrimental to the body as well as the mind, and can manifest in physical symptoms even in people who seem to have it together. Stress can cause a person to catch colds and other illnesses more than they usually would. It can even cause the symptoms of sickness–sometimes serious sickness–that have no viral or bacterial basis. Stress is hard on the skin. It is a cause of acne as well as other skin problems. Stress is also an obvious source of emotional instability, and can lead to feelings of resentment, anger, tears, anxiety, giddiness, and burnout. Stress can be an aggregate of more serious health problems.

The solution to stress is to become conscious of our happiness, our limits, and pay attention to daily health. The average person requires seven or eight hours of sleep a night. It is also important to eat healthily, not just cutting down on fat, cholesterol, and sugar, but to get the proper nutrients, water, and fiber from dietary sources. Exercise is extremely important to body health, and of course, drugs that are not prescribed by a physician are generally unhealthy.

Learn more how Ken Mehlman and KKR have formed a Partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund to help companies reduce emissions and waste.

Bloomberg also reported on Ken Mehlman and KKR’s partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund.

Ken Mehlman is the Head of Global Affairs for Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts.