{"id":5698,"date":"2018-05-14T16:16:18","date_gmt":"2018-05-14T16:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oakwoodtrainin.wpengine.com\/?p=5698"},"modified":"2023-12-06T13:46:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T13:46:38","slug":"stress-are-we-coping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress: Are We Coping?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In support of Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 14th to 20th May 2018, I want to share my perspective on an issue that impacts most of us in business.  <\/p>\n

This year, the focus of the campaign plays right into my hands: the theme is stress. Regular post readers among you will know that I\u2019m passionate about this topic. That\u2019s why it\u2019s often at the centre of our training objectives here at Oakwood. <\/p>\n

The <\/a>Mental Health Awareness Week website says it\u2019s:  <\/p>\n

focusing on helping employees and employers create a mentally healthy workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So it dovetails perfectly with our own day-to-day endeavours. <\/p>\n

The campaign asks the question \u2018Stress: are we coping?\u2019 It will seek to highlight the impact stress has on us all, and the connection between stress and our health \u2013 both mental and physical. <\/p>\n

Science uncovers some important truths <\/h3>\n

Aha! This is the perfect cue for me to take a deeper dive, and revisit what we know about stress and the science behind it. Pleasingly, scientific research is making notable progress in the analysis of stress. It\u2019s now the subject of many authoritative clinical studies. <\/p>\n

As a result, we now know that some old assumptions are not entirely true:<\/strong> that the introduction of a \u2018stressor\u2019 \u2013 like an angry customer, grouchy boss or being sent to the naughty step \u2013 floods the system with a \u2018chemical cocktail\u2019 that overwhelms the \u2018logical\u2019 processes in the brain. Advances in neuroscience are shining a light on what actually goes on.  <\/p>\n

According to new research it turns out the brain\u2019s response is not to thrust its hands in the air and run around like a four-year-old throwing a tantrum having been denied another pack of Haribo! <\/p>\n

Science shows that the stress response is far more targeted and deliberate. So here\u2019s what we do know.  <\/p>\n

Want to make better decisions? Reduce Stress. <\/h3>\n

The Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC) is the newest part of our brain (evolutionary speaking), and sits roughly behind your forehead. It is rational, logical and deliberate, and is crucial to decision making. Stress actually disengages specific neurons in the PFC. Yes, really! Let\u2019s hear from a scientist who, quite correctly, correlates stress with anxiety\u2026 <\/p>\n

 \u201cThe data indicates that anxiety has an exquisitely selective effect on neuronal activity that supports decision making\u2026 this study shows that anxiety disengages brain cells in a highly specialized manner.\u201d Bita Moghaddam, Ph.D. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Apparently, the more stressed you are the worse it gets! \u2018Multiple stressors\u2019 may add up to be even more potent. Things like a high physical threat coupled to time constraints. Or a burdensome workload exacerbated by low levels of control. You get the idea. Anyway, that sets the scene. (You can follow the thread of this story in more detail in my blog from last September<\/a>.) <\/p>\n

Accepting that stress can prevent us from always making rational and logical decisions, my summary was this: if you want to make better decisions, or you want the people you manage to make better decisions, reduce stress. But is it that easy? <\/p>\n

No, of course it\u2019s not, but there are things we can consider that may help to reduce stress, and probably things we can actively choose to do. <\/p>\n

Survive or Thrive? <\/h3>\n

Exactly a year ago, I talked about\u200b pumpkins.<\/a> Sounds odd in the context of stress, right? The pumpkins in my blog image were ostensibly the same. Orange. Same variety. Probably tasty (as a pumpkin can be) and outwardly healthy. Except that one pumpkin was evidently much larger than the other. It was a visual metaphor offered in the spirit of comparing the ability to survive with the capacity to thrive<\/strong>. Perhaps ludicrously, on reflection, I asked: \u201cwhich pumpkin you would rather be?\u201d <\/p>\n

My serious point, illustrated with a perfect pair of pristine pumpkins (love that alliteration), is that just because you\u2019re not sick doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re healthy<\/strong>. The World Health Organisation puts it rather succinctly:<\/p>\n

 \u201cHealth is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s how it is with stress. It is so often outwardly invisible. Pumpkins can\u2019t tell you they\u2019re feeling stressed, but people can. Even if they don\u2019t (or won\u2019t), there are often tell-tale signs that can hint at a person\u2019s disposition. Do you, or your colleagues, feel you\u2019re simply going through the same old grind day-in and day-out? Constantly watching the clock? Keeping your head down? Just 15 years 3 months and 32 days until retirement? “Grin and bear it\u201d because at least we’ve got jobs? Hmm! You\u2019re probably in survival mode. And there\u2019s precious little personal reward in that. <\/p>\n

As so many organisations go through seemingly endless rounds of restructure and change, too many of us have just accepted that a high level of stress and anxiety is a fair price to keep our heads above water. Then there\u2019s \u2018Agile Working\u2019 <\/a>that blurs the lines between work time, down time and home life.<\/p>\n

Add Social Media in to the mix, “keeping up with the Jones’s” for a cyber age <\/strong>which changes the way we interact with friends, family and even colleagues by exposing us to intimate close up’s of everyone else\u2019s supposedly perfect lives, and it\u2019s no surprise that anxiety is the new norm. Thriving isn\u2019t. <\/p>\n

Good mental health helps us to thrive <\/h3>\n

The way we think, feel and act <\/strong>has a huge impact on our ability to enjoy life and roll with the punches when they inevitably come. An unnamed learned individual once observed: \u201cLife happens while you are busy making other plans.\u201d I view that as a clarion call, favoured in the world of self-help, to stop waiting for life to deal you a better hand. It implies that you should take control and deal it yourself.  <\/p>\n

But that\u2019s easy to say, and less easy to do. In my experience, many people aren\u2019t making other plans at all; they\u2019re too busy existing. Stressing. Surviving.  <\/p>\n

I believe there is a better version of this old adage: \u201cLife happens while you are waiting for\u2026\u201d \u2026something!<\/strong> You can decide what. But whatever it is, it\u2019s essentially waiting. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re one of the millions who feel that there must be more to life, waiting for something, chances are you\u2019re surviving. I\u2019m not sure a life of \u2018continuing to exist\u2019 is all that appealing. That said, no one claims that switching to a life of thriving is straightforward.<\/p>\n

But finding a way to prosper and flourish has to be a commendable goal. And not living in \u201ccongruence\u201d<\/strong> (one of my favourite words) with who you are and your own values leads to a lack of fulfilment, stress, anxiety and depression.  <\/p>\n

For me, from observation, experience and a large helping of scientific study, being aware of the role stress plays in how we are able to exist is surely a key to helping ourselves and others to thrive. I hope that Mental Health Awareness Week will shine a bright light on it. <\/p>\n

So, in closing, from the cutting edge of scientific endeavour we turn to a more ancient wisdom:<\/p>\n

 \u201cKnow thyself\u201d and \u201cTo thine own self be true\u201d. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In support of Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 14th to 20th May 2018, I want to share my perspective on an issue that impacts most of us in business.   This year, the focus of the campaign plays right into my hands: the theme is stress. Regular post readers among you will know that I\u2019m passionate about this topic. That\u2019s why it\u2019s often at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5700,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[43,53,55],"post_folder":[],"yoast_head":"\nStress: Are We Coping? - Oakwood Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stress: Are We Coping?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When pressure or stress exceeds our ability to cope, all sorts of problems emerge. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the focus is Stress. I jotted down some thoughts as always...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oakwood Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-14T16:16:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-06T13:46:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Social-Media-Sharing-Card-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Terry Streather\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Stress: Are We Coping?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"When pressure or stress exceeds our ability to cope, all sorts of problems emerge. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the focus is Stress. I jotted down some thoughts as always...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Social-Media-Sharing-Card-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Terry Streather\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/\",\"name\":\"Stress: Are We Coping? - Oakwood Training\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Blog-Header-Full-image-2-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-14T16:16:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-06T13:46:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/69cb1b6b9472dc11a23fab0539561219\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Blog-Header-Full-image-2-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Blog-Header-Full-image-2-1.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stress: Are We Coping?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/\",\"name\":\"Oakwood Training\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/69cb1b6b9472dc11a23fab0539561219\",\"name\":\"Terry Streather\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f0ac2fadbe2a0d235e6a05171be2b1f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f0ac2fadbe2a0d235e6a05171be2b1f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Terry Streather\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/author\/terrystreather\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Stress: Are We Coping? - Oakwood Training","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Stress: Are We Coping?","og_description":"When pressure or stress exceeds our ability to cope, all sorts of problems emerge. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the focus is Stress. I jotted down some thoughts as always...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/","og_site_name":"Oakwood Training","article_published_time":"2018-05-14T16:16:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-06T13:46:38+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Social-Media-Sharing-Card-1-1.jpg"}],"author":"Terry Streather","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Stress: Are We Coping?","twitter_description":"When pressure or stress exceeds our ability to cope, all sorts of problems emerge. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the focus is Stress. I jotted down some thoughts as always...","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Social-Media-Sharing-Card-1-1.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Terry Streather","Estimated reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/","url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/","name":"Stress: Are We Coping? - Oakwood Training","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Blog-Header-Full-image-2-1.jpg","datePublished":"2018-05-14T16:16:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-06T13:46:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/69cb1b6b9472dc11a23fab0539561219"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Blog-Header-Full-image-2-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Blog-Header-Full-image-2-1.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/stress-are-we-coping\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stress: Are We Coping?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/","name":"Oakwood Training","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/69cb1b6b9472dc11a23fab0539561219","name":"Terry Streather","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f0ac2fadbe2a0d235e6a05171be2b1f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f0ac2fadbe2a0d235e6a05171be2b1f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Terry Streather"},"url":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/author\/terrystreather\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30348,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5698\/revisions\/30348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5698"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakwoodtraining.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=5698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}