Office workers at their desks Back at our desks after a Bank Holiday weekend, and while one ought to be chilled by the break, it’s not unusual to feel stressed. The work you didn’t finish before Friday is now overdue, while the short week ahead means cramming extra hours just to get back on top of your inbox, and then there’s the meetings with the ‘‘difficult’’ boss to get through. If you are silently screaming “argh” at your PC, take comfort, you will certainly not be alone. Julia Louis-Dreyfus portraying Vice President Selina Meyer- the ultimate difficult boss - in the HBO comedy series "Veep." Yet, new research published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience shows that stress can be good for us in unexpected ways. The report from the University of Vienna last month (April) found that stress is not just an essential psychobiological mechanism without which we could not survive, helping us to manage threatening situations. But also it can lead to an increase in pro-social behaviour. Perhaps that explains the humanitarian instinct we all so admire, when some rush towards danger in a terrorist attack or natural disaster, driven to help. Work stress can lead to burn out if not handled correctly That possibility that stress can be beneficial is one explored in by Professor Ian Robertson, Co-Director of the Global brain health Institute at Trinity College Dublin and one of the world’s leading researchers in neuropsychology, which is about to be published in paperback. In the book, Robertson examines Nietzsche’s proposition “What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger” - the idea that individuals can learn to harness their own power, as opposed to being subjects of forces over which they had little control. Jessica Ennis-Hill: the right amount of stress can be a great motivator to succeed Prof Robertson says: “We experience stress when we believe that demands upon us exceed our ability to cope with them. That perception leads to feelings of anxiety and threat, which triggers the fight or flight response. “This is the activation of the peripheral autonomic nervous system which releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to increase our heart rate and send more oxygen to muscles so we can literally fight or run away. “Meanwhile, our stomachs go into turmoil because digestion is not a priority leading to gastro-intestinal problems. Skin may feel sweaty as the body cools down in anticipation of overheating in the event of sudden activity.” He adds: “It is a kind of energy to prepare us for action – and it can be harnessed in different ways.” So, if your stress is brought on by the thought of dealing with a bullying boss or series of tricky meetings and presentations - rather than an actual tiger – how can you harness your feelings to work for you? If you focus on harnessing your stress you can make it work to your advantage According to Prof Robertson, many hormone systems have what he calls an upside-down-U-shaped function. “Too little of the hormone and we underperform, too much and we overperform. The secret is finding the sweet spot in the middle for optimal performance.” So that’s what you are aiming for as you start back to work – and here are eight ways Prof Roberston says will get you there: Achieve the challenge mindset “Turn the ‘threat’ mindset into a ‘challenge’ mindset,” says Prof Robertson. He explains the symptoms of stress such as beating heart, dry mouth and churning stomach are as much symptoms of excitement as anxiety. It’s all about context. So you might experience these symptoms when you feel anxious about a meeting, but it might be a reaction to your football team scoring. Prof Robertson says there is scientific evidence that if performers are told to say out loud ‘I am excited’ rather than ‘I feel anxious’ it will help them perform better. “This is changing the context so that you see an occasion as an opportunity to perform rather than something to be endured with the possibility of failure.” In an office, when faced with a difficult situation, set a goal for yourself that the meeting is going to be an opportunity to practise your skills not to get upset, angry or tearful. By making the work challenge about your own demeanour and self-regulation, you are building a critical professional skill, that of achieving a goal - keeping your cool - and hence giving your brain a little mood-lifting boost. Breathing techniques can help stop fight or flight stress responses Breathe your brain calm You have the capacity to control the chemistry of your own brain via your hormones, says the professor, more precisely and quickly than with any drug ever invented. “Noradrenaline is a critical part of your stress response, switched on whether you are frightened or attracted or surprised via a general alerting response. “It’s produced deep in the brain and levels are controlled by the carbon dioxide level in our breath.” To reduce the amount of noradrenaline produced, control your breathing. Take a long slow breath in for five counts and out for five, and repeat for a few breaths until you feel calm. Set small goals Sometimes we feel under stimulated and undermotivated – which means we are not stressed enough to get ourselves working to full capacity through the day. To beat this, set small, achievable goals, says the professor. “For example, if you are really bored by the content of a report, you might decide to write the most beautiful report in elegant English just for your own satisfaction. If you focus on that and achieve it, the brain will respond by releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is part of the brain’s reward network. It’s our brain’s natural antidepressant.” Stress can be a great motivator Fertilise your brain Physical exercise chemically changes your brain as well - whether you are feeling jaded, bored, anxious or stressed. Prof Robertson recommends going for a 10-minute brisk out door walk. This will release the brain-derived neurotrophic facto (BDNF) protein; “It’s like a fertiliser for the brain which will increase noradrenaline levels. Meanwhile having set and met an exercise goal will give you a rewarding dopamine boost too.” Stop multi-tasking The brain’s limitations mean that it can only handle a limited amount of information front and centre at any one time. This means attention is a limited resource and the brain will get gets frazzled from multi-tasking, he says. Demand for our attention and information overload is a modern scourge which is why for your brain to work optimally you should switch off alerts for your phone and emails, and concentrate on one thing at a time. Check your sitting position - slouching is bad for stress Sit up straight Watch out if you are slumping at the desk or stooping as you walk along the road. Posture affects the blood flow to the frontal lobes of the brain. Good posture will keep you feeling alert. Squeeze your hand If you have to make a presentation or a phone call which is making you feel anxious, squeeze your right hand for 45 secs. Use a squeezy ball if you have one. This will increase the firing of brain cells on the left side of your brain, giving the “challenge” system a tiny boost. Meditation can help to focus stress Meditate between tasks Train your attention by stopping between tasks to do a five-minute work break meditation with the buddhify app. It will help you control your attention, breathing, and ultimately brain chemistry, to keep you near the sweet spot of performance which you are aiming for.” Source
