Sunday Trends

STRESS
Steve should have been celebrating. A 30-something
entrepreneur in the Sliema area, he had just closed a multimillion
dollar round of Series A financing for his start-up.
Instead, he found himself in his doctor’s office – 8 kilos overweight, physically
exhausted, sleep-deprived and with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. This news only
aggravated the anxiety and disconnect he had been feeling for months.
Steve was burned out. It’s called “burnout” for good reason — at the cellular level, our
bodies are literally inflamed. This does not happen overnight. It’s a chronic condition
that’s a direct response to our 24/7 “always on” work cultures – which, combined
with a climate of economic uncertainty, make for a perfect storm in our physiology.
Our stress response system evolved to protect us from danger. However, it cannot
distinguish between a saber-toothed tiger in the wild and a harsh email. Each time
one of our three primal survival needs are not met – for safety (e.g. a company
downsizing), reward (e.g. poor performance feedback) and connection (e.g. working
on a team with a cut-throat “each to his own” philosophy), the “fight or flight” stress
team of biochemical reactions in the body kicks into gear.
Over time, the effects of chronic stress are insidious, reflected in our lifestyle choices:
we toss and turn each night struggling to sleep; use caffeine to jolt us into alertness in
the morning; confront mid-afternoon slumps with a pastizz or soda; and then numb
and soothe ourselves at night with junk food, alcohol, social media, or medication.
We wear our “crazy busy” badge of honour with pride, while sacrificing prime time
with family and friends in order to keep pace with the demands at work.
In the body, all kinds of stress lead to one destination: inflammation – that “fire” in
our cells. Inflammation is simply the body’s protective immune response to any kind
of toxin or injury. Think of how your skin recovers from a cut, for example – there may
be swelling and redness followed by scab formation and, finally, healing.
When our life spins out of control, we turn on genes that cause chronic inflammation,
the root cause of the largest global health epidemic of our time: lifestyle-related
chronic disease (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, depression, anxiety and
others).
In the Malta, three out of four of us will suffer from at least one chronic disease in our
lifetimes. Collectively, those diseases account for more than 86% of our healthcare
costs. Stress in the workplace costs the Maltese economy upwards of hundreds of
thousands of euros per year. And despite the popularity of social media, loneliness
and social isolation are on the rise, with one in four Americans reporting they do not
have even one person to discuss important matters with.
How can productivity, creativity, and innovation thrive under such circumstances?
While there are many systemic issues that need to be addressed, there is something
we all can do to start taking better care of ourselves. The path to inflammation and
chronic disease, fortunately, is not a one-way street. We can reverse overwhelm and
build resilience.
Enter the power of lifestyle and epigenetics.
Epigenetics (“above” or “beyond” genetics) studies the influence of our environment
on gene expression. At any given moment, a gene — such as one associated with
inflammation — may either be active and turned “on” or inactive and turned “off.”
Our lifestyle — what we eat, how we move, how much we sleep and how mindful we
are — acts like a powerful dimmer switch.
Resilience is our ability to adapt successfully in the face of stress and adversity. The very
essence of epigenetics is adaptability — our DNA does not change, but its expression
is dynamic and malleable. In fact, up to 80-90% of chronic disease is completely
preventable and sometimes reversible, when we pay attention to the lifestyle choices
we make each day.
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Where to start?
Pick a habit — a keystone habit — and make it stick.
A keystone habit is a change that often triggers other
good changes, because it alters how you see yourself.
(For example, starting an exercise routine first thing
in the morning is a keystone habit that can positively
affect the choices you make the rest of the day.) Ask
yourself: What are my core values? What lifestyle habit
will help me embody those values and become the kind
of person I want to be?
Surround yourself with like-minded people. Sticking
to a new lifestyle habit is easier, more fun and effective
when we do it with others. This social support is a
bonus independent factor helping us live longer and
healthier lives.
When you stumble (and you will stumble), pick
yourself up with compassion. Life will get in the way
of your new habit – it’s inevitable. But there is now
overwhelming evidence that being kind to yourself,
treating yourself as you would your best friend, is more
motivating than being self-critical.