Stressed out!!!
tress as a word is getting thoroughly devalued through over-use. “I’m so stressed!!” We hear it all the time. People complain about it frequently and blame it for a range of problems, from mistakes at work to the breakdown of relationships, from fatigue to major health issues. Everyone is ‘under stress’ and, as a result, there is little sympathy when someone else claims to be feeling the pressure. Stress, however, has a massive impact on general health and wellbeing and that means it matters in business.
tress as a word is getting thoroughly devalued through over-use.
“I’m so stressed!!”
We hear it all the time.
People complain about it frequently and blame it for a range of problems, from mistakes at work to the breakdown of relationships, from fatigue to major health issues.
Everyone is ‘under stress’ and, as a result, there is little sympathy when someone else claims to be feeling the pressure.
Stress, however, has a massive impact on general health and wellbeing and that means it matters in business.
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STRESSED OUT!!!<br />
By:<br />
Pete<br />
Cohen
“I’m so stressed!!”<br />
STRESS AS A WORD<br />
IS GETTING<br />
THOROUGHLY<br />
DEVALUED<br />
THROUGH OVER-<br />
USE.<br />
We hear it all the time.<br />
People complain ab<strong>out</strong> it frequently and<br />
blame it for a range of problems, from<br />
mistakes at work to the breakdown of<br />
relationships, from fatigue to major health<br />
issues.<br />
Everyone is ‘under stress’ and, as a result,<br />
there is little sympathy when someone else<br />
claims to be feeling the pressure.<br />
Stress, however, has a massive impact on<br />
general health and wellbeing and that means<br />
it matters in business.<br />
As a physiological concept, stress is not new.
Hans Selye first discovered<br />
what we now call stress in<br />
1936 when he first explained<br />
the chemical reactions in the<br />
body which trigger what we<br />
tend to call the ‘fight or flight’<br />
instinct. In essence, when<br />
sensing danger of any kind,<br />
the body releases a set of<br />
chemicals (most notably<br />
Adrenalin and Cortisol) which<br />
raise the heart rate and divert<br />
the body’s resources to parts<br />
of the body most needed for<br />
survival.<br />
So, for example, a burst of adrenaline will<br />
make muscles work better. If you were<br />
faced with a hungry bare-toothed tiger,<br />
that would be essential so you could<br />
fight of the attack or ‘leg-it’ in the other<br />
direction!<br />
What’s more, that physical exertion,<br />
followed by a period of calm and<br />
relaxation once the danger was passed<br />
would disperse the chemicals <strong>out</strong> of the<br />
body.
THE NEED TO FEND OFF SABRE-<br />
TOOTHED TIGERS IS NOW EXTINCT<br />
(AS, OF COURSE, IS THE POOR<br />
ANIMAL HIMSELF!). 21ST CENTURY<br />
STRESS IS DIFFERENT.<br />
The primal need to fight or flee a savage animal is now translated into fight or flee a<br />
savage e-mail…<br />
The chemical release is the same but the levels of stimulation continue. It isn’t just<br />
one e-mail causing stress, it is an inbox of hundreds (mine, at the moment, has<br />
3427 emails in it – I’m aiming for some kind of a record!!).<br />
The physical exertion and relaxation doesn’t<br />
automatically follow however and, as a result, the<br />
body is regularly swimming in Adrenalin and cortisol<br />
and that is harmful in the long term and it plays <strong>out</strong> in<br />
a range of ways.<br />
-Lying awake at night, unable to get to sleep<br />
-Waking suddenly during the night<br />
-Anxiety and agitation<br />
-Irritability and short temper<br />
-Lower immunity – so susceptibility to coughs, colds<br />
and ‘flu<br />
-Heart disease<br />
-Increased risk of cancer and other serious illness<br />
-Weight gain (not just because you eat on the run but<br />
because the body wants to store as much fat as<br />
possible to deal with all the saber-toothed tigers it is<br />
anticipating)<br />
It can be massively damaging.<br />
What’s more – and a particular reason for<br />
organisations to care – the evidence shows<br />
that stress reduced logical thinking. It<br />
makes sense, if you think ab<strong>out</strong> it. When<br />
faced with a sabre-toothed tiger, the body is<br />
diverting energy to allow you to run away. In<br />
those circumstances, being able to make<br />
rational and logical decisions (such as how<br />
much packaging to order or what is the best<br />
approach for the upcoming marketing<br />
campaign) really aren’t important.
T H A T ’ S W H Y , W H E N Y O U A R E R E A L L Y<br />
U N D E R P R E S S U R E , Y O U F E E L Y O U C A N ’ T<br />
T H I N K . A N D T H E P R E S S U R E G O E S U P . A<br />
C L A S S I C E X A M P L E O F A V I C I O U S<br />
C I R C L E .<br />
Y O U A R E W O R R I E D A B O U T A D E A D L I N E<br />
Y O U C A N ’ T C O N C E N T R A T E<br />
Y O U M A K E A M I S T A K E T H A T Y O U D O N ’ T<br />
S P O T<br />
Y O U R B O S S I S A N N O Y E D A T T H E S I L L Y<br />
M I S T A K E<br />
N O W Y O U H A V E T O W O R K L A T E T O<br />
C O R R E C T T H E E R R O R<br />
Y O U F E E L U N D E R P R E S S U R E A N D<br />
W O R R I E D A B O U T T H E N O W O V E R D U E<br />
D E A D L I N E<br />
A N D S O I T C O N T I N U E S .<br />
So what can be done ab<strong>out</strong> all this stress in the workplace?<br />
We can’t just halt the pace of life!<br />
Well, here’s one fascinating fact ab<strong>out</strong> stress. There are<br />
some simple types of activity which are really good for us.<br />
Exercise is particularly beneficial. It burns off the harmful<br />
chemicals and builds resilience for the body. It is a form of<br />
stress which counters all the other stresses of life.<br />
Meditation is also something I recommend to anyone I’m<br />
working with. Even 10 minutes a day of just stopping and<br />
focusing on your breath or sounds or connection to the<br />
physical body can allow the body to recharge and distress<br />
Getting <strong>out</strong> into the fresh air is another really important<br />
strategy. The Japanese use a technique called “tree<br />
bathing” where they go into the forests and spend time<br />
absorbing the essence of nature. It doesn’t need to be as<br />
extreme as that, though. You are just as able to benefit from<br />
getting <strong>out</strong> into the sunshine or feeling the rain on your face<br />
to allow the cares of the day to fade away for a few<br />
moments.<br />
Or perhaps just stopping giving yourself the time to just sit<br />
and reflect properly on this article is going to help you.<br />
What is stress doing to you? And your family and friends?<br />
And your work colleagues?
IS IT TIME TO<br />
TAKE A STEP<br />
BACK AND<br />
REALLY LOOK<br />
AT THIS FROM<br />
A NEW<br />
PERSPECTIVE?<br />
If you want a new perspective to help<br />
you and your organisation tackle stress,<br />
Our365 is helping people in<br />
organisations to be better than their<br />
best. If you want to discuss this with us<br />
and learn ab<strong>out</strong> some of the incredible<br />
results we are already having with<br />
people, contact us to arrange a<br />
conversation.<br />
Source:<br />
https://petecohen.com/<br />
stressed-<strong>out</strong>/