Spotlight On: Stress Awareness Week
3rd - 7th November is International Stress Awareness Day and the theme is something close to our heart: Optimising Employee Wellbeing through Strategic Stress Management
You're probably going to see lots of newsletters and posts about "stress", but we want to disrupt the conversation... We think you're asking the wrong question!
Stop asking: "Do I feel stressed?"
The answer could be "no" because you are a highly functioning, ambitious professional, thriving on high stakes projects and enjoying that dopamine hit. And there is nothing wrong with that! Your brain is wired for survival and as long as there is a threat to get away from (usually deadlines!), your brain will tell you that you're fine and you're coping, so you can carry on. But let's look at the bigger picture....
‼️Allostatic load is a term you may not have heard of‼️
Allostatic load is the wear and tear that happens to your body when you are under chronic stress. It is the physical damage that is caused to your organs and tissues, by the long-term presence of cortisol and adrenaline, keeping your body in "go-mode". And the damage being done doesn't always correspond to feeling stressed.
In the short term, the impacts of this look a lot like burnout - poor sleep, irritability, feeling overwhelmed. But in the long term, the consequences are far more serious. High allostatic load increases your risk of: ‼️heart disease‼️hypertension‼️diabetes‼️dementia‼️cancer‼️impairments in cognitive functioning‼️
If you're an ambitious professional, it isn't a question of whether you feel stressed or not. The question is: are you thriving in a fast-paced lifestyle sustainably? Or, are you imperceptibly overloading your body and heading towards a health crisis?
The good news is there are science-backed strategies that can mitigate this risk in yourself and in your organisation. Book a free consultation today to talk to us about prioritising mental (and physical) health in your workplace.
