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Pillars of health

Recovery

Working 55 hours a week or more is associated with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease — compared with 35–40 hours. WHO and ILO estimate.

Level: Spirit · Steady spiritGlobal estimate · World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, 2021 (opens in a new tab)

What science says

  1. Long working weeks led to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016.

    Global estimateWorld Health Organization, International Labour Organization, 2021 (opens in a new tab)

  2. 120 minutes in nature a week: in a survey of 19,806 people, from this threshold people were noticeably more likely to report good health and well-being, peaking at 200–300 minutes. It did not matter whether that was one long walk or several short ones. These are observational data.

    Survey, observational dataScientific Reports (White MP et al.), 2019 (opens in a new tab)

  3. Breathwork: a meta-analysis of 12 randomised trials (785 adults) found a small-to-medium effect on self-reported stress. The authors urge caution: most trials had a moderate risk of bias.

    Meta-analysis of randomised trialsScientific Reports (Fincham GW et al.), 2023 (opens in a new tab)

  4. Meditation programmes: 47 trials, 3,515 participants. For mindfulness programmes — moderate evidence of a small reduction in anxiety and depressive symptoms. Meditation was not better than other active treatments — medicines, exercise or other behavioural therapies.

    Meta-analysis of randomised trialsJAMA Internal Medicine (Goyal M et al.), 2014 (opens in a new tab)

  5. WHO defines stress as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation and suggests anchors: a daily routine, enough sleep, staying in touch with people close to you, regular exercise and less time following the news.

    Official positionWorld Health Organization, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Weekly anchor

  • 120 minutes in nature — in one walk or several.[2] Source
  • No habitual weeks of 55 working hours or more.[1] Source
  • Every day — a few minutes of quiet or slow breathing.Practice

How to start

Three small steps for this week.

  1. Mark one evening without work and email in your calendar — as a meeting you do not move.
  2. Go to a park or to the water for 30 minutes: four such outings make 120 minutes a week.
  3. Try breathing with a long exhale: 5 minutes, in for a count of 4, out for 6. There is a breathing trainer in the «Game» section.

Important. If anxiety or low mood lasts for weeks and gets in the way of life, it is worth seeing a doctor or a psychologist. Thoughts of harming yourself are a reason to call emergency services (112) right away.

Try it nearby

Live is stronger than a screen: classes and masters on AbsoLive, the map of the Absolute community.

Only the name of the activity goes into the link — no answers and no data from this device.

In the Absolute family

  • AbsoHomedemo

    A change of scene

    Homes of community members in the mountains, by the sea and on an island — for a retreat and time away from the usual. For now it is a demo: the launch is ahead.

    Open AbsoHome (opens in a new tab)

Next on AbsoHealth

Sources

  1. 1Long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke: WHO, ILO (opens in a new tab) — World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, 2021
  2. 2Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing (opens in a new tab) — Scientific Reports (White MP et al.), 2019
  3. 3Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials (opens in a new tab) — Scientific Reports (Fincham GW et al.), 2023
  4. 4Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab) — JAMA Internal Medicine (Goyal M et al.), 2014
  5. 5Stress — questions and answers (opens in a new tab) — World Health Organization, 2026