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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>/

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