How To Mange Stress In The Workplace
By Dr Tara Swart
Everyone experiences stress regularly throughout their life and this is often due to deadlines at work, pressures with colleagues or just struggling to juggle work and home life. Overall, stress costs the UK economy nearly £6.5 billion each year and is linked to both mental and physical health risks, such as heart disease. In order to know how best to build up mental resilience it is important to understand the natural reactions the brain undergoes when we experience stress.
Stress occurs when we feel under threat, and causes our bodies to release the hormone cortisol, preparing us for ‘battle’ – literally a fight for survival. This natural reaction was developed as a result of years of evolution to ensure our physical survival. However, its effect is that blood is drawn away from parts of the brain deemed unnecessary for physical survival – functions such as rational decision-making, emotion regulation and empathy, which are essential for a productive working environment.
Since we all know we will experience stress frequently during our working lives it is important to understand how best to manage your natural instincts and build up your mental resilience. Most of us use our brain for our job so we must maintain its health, just as an elite athlete would train their bodies to stay in peak condition. You can keep your brain healthy by making small lifestyle changes and ensuring it properly fuelled, hydrated and rested.
Most people don’t realise that what they eat or drink can affect their ability to handle stress. Green leafy vegetables, beans and nuts all contain magnesium which will lower your levels of cortisol. Perhaps think of picking up some nuts instead of an unhealthy snack in future or simply get in the habit of taking magnesium supplements daily.
Practicing mindfulness is a great way reducing your levels of cortisol. If practised regularly three times a week mindfulness can actually enhance the brain’s performance due to the increased formation of folds in the prefrontal cortex. Whilst mindfulness is usually associated with meditation it can also be practised through yoga, whilst eating or even during your commute using a mindfulness app. For a quick fix you can even lower your cortisol levels by simply taking 10 deep breaths and increasing the oxygen flow to the brain.
In a world which constantly demands our attention, it can be tempting to blur your home and work life, however this will have a detrimental effect on your mental resilience. Try and resist the temptation to answer your emails in the evenings and at the weekends. Think about going on a digital detox completely for a day, weekend or even a whole week holiday. Going without your phone will also help boost your levels of oxytocin (the bonding hormone) as you are able to focus on bonding time with family and friends, and improve the quality of your sleep which is also essential to maintaining your brain’s health.
Whilst stress can often seem overwhelming, small changes to your lifestyle can make help improve your mental resilience and help you work better as an individual or as a team. So next time you feel stressed think about going for a walk, taking some deep breaths to oxygenate your brain or picking up a snack rich in magnesium.
Dr Tara Swart is a renowned neuroscientist, leadership coach, medical doctor and award-winning author.
This article originally featured in hrfuture.net, May 2017, page 17.
