Stress

What actually is stress?

The word "stress" like so many words, gets banded around and misused... or does it?

On this page we explore stress, it's effects, how to recognise it in you and others, and how to manage it.

The NHS says: "Stress is the body's reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. When we are stressed, our body releases a hormone called adrenaline (often called the "fight or flight" hormone), which usually gives us a boost or motivates us to act quickly."

In today's world, stress is usually a reaction to mental or emotional pressure. It's often related to feeling like you're unable to control or manage a situation. In order to better manage stress, we need to understand the physiology...that is, what happens in our brains and our bodies during times of stress.

So what actually happens in our body?

A small part of our brain, a part that is found in many creatures far less evolved than humans, called the Amygdala, sends a signal to the adrenal gland which then pumps adrenaline into our bloodstream. We will recognise the effects on other parts of our body, as our heart starts pumping faster, we start breathing more heavily and our pupils dilate, to name just a few responses.

Sometimes these responses are useful. Sometimes not.

What's interesting is that we interpret these sensations in different ways depending on the situation. This mechanism is in play when we have a sense of excitement, especially when its something we "get a rush" from. So, sometimes we find it joyful, sometimes worrying and even occasionally overwhelming. We will explore this later.

What are the three different types of stress?

Whilst there are many kinds of stress that we experience, research in the field of psychology has divided it into three primary types, Acute, Episodic and Chronic.

1. Acute stress

We may experience acute stress multiple times each day. It can occur when there is a challenge, a perceived threat or when something unexpected happens. This may be from arguing with someone, getting stuck in traffic or receiving a fine or some other kind of punishment, even from giving a speech.

The symptoms of acute stress, and an important distinction to other types of stress is that it develops quickly and does not last long. You may become irritable, anxious, sweaty, get headaches or stomach pains and often a rapid heartbeat.

2. Episodic acute stress

This occurs when we frequently experience acute stress. Symptoms are similar to those of acute stress except, they occur more often and accumulate. If not managed properly, symptoms can lead to serious health problems such as clinical depression or heart disease.

Episodic acute stress can develop as a result of taking on too much responsibility or being overburdened.

3. Chronic stress

This is constant and persists stress over an extended period of time. Put simply, it is when your body has no or little breaks from it's responses to adrenalin and cortisol being released into the bloodstream and absorbed by your organs.

Sometimes referred to as 'Burnout' it is the most harmful type of stress to our overall health. Chronic stress can be caused by poverty, abuse of any kind, a poor work environment, having a dysfunctional marriage or family, or substance abuse. Symptoms of chronic stress can become overwhelming, even debilitating. You may experience fatigue, changes in appetite, difficulty sleeping, headaches or difficulty concentrating. Chronic stress left untreated for a long period of time can have serious consequences and lead to health problems such as insomnia, obesity, heart disease, hypertension or diabetes.

At VFS, we tend to use the term "experiencing" stress and not "suffering from" stress. The symptoms of acute stress and the mechanisms in play are essentially the same as when we experience a sense of excitement.

Managing Stress

In order to better manage stress, we need to revisit the Amygdala, an ancient evolutionary adaptations in our brain. Being such an early evolution, the Amygdala sits at the very top of the Brain Stem, effectively deciding when our evolved brain (the Higher Cortex) has control. Fortunately the Amygdala is not an egomaniac and only steps in when sudden action is required and there is no time for deliberation or committee meetings between various parts of the brain.

But, it doesn't have all the context and doesn't understand the world that we live in today and that most of the time the fight-or-flight response isn't required. So, often at inappropriate times, it hijacks higher brain centres. This “act first, think later” brain structure shuts down perspective and analytical reasoning. While that fight-or-flight reaction may save us in life-or-death situations, it handicaps the strategic thinking needed in today’s world.

An Amygdala Hijack

An Amygdala hijack happens when your brain reacts to psychological stress as if it is a physical danger. It's an emotional response that is immediate, overwhelming, and out of proportion with the actual stimulus because it has triggered a much more significant emotional response. The term was coined by Daniel Goleman in his 1996 book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.

The Basics

The basics of stress management can be summarised as:

Breathe. Move. Talk.

Whilst the Amygdala may initiate this response, the body is designed to self-sustain this heightened state, to perpetuate the physical responses...much like how a vehicle's starter motor cranks the engine around, but then the engine itself becomes self perpetuating with the addition of a little fuel.

The best way for us to shut down this self perpetuating mechanism in our bodies is to take control of our breathing. Slow, deep breaths really do help the body reduce the symptoms of the adrenaline and cortisol, but most importantly, allows your higher cortex to function again....and with it, for you to start to think more rationally and analytically again.

Move - Get up and walk around. This may be to help use up the fuel and dissipate the hormones: this helps parts of the Higher Cortex to start working again. But equally, it may provide a distraction or simply buys you time to calm down and begin to think rationally.

Talk - "a problem shared is a problem halved"...well maybe. But sometimes the simple act of engaging with another person, even if not talking through the matter that triggered this stress, helps to break the self-perpetuating physical symptoms. Be careful when talking through the matter with someone though. A 'good listener', a wise person or a professional may well be able to help. But talking to someone who is likely to simply agree with you or to talk about their similar issues, is actually likely to increase your stress in the long run. "a problem shared can help a problem put down roots, persist, even grow".

Read more about the Amygdala Hijack and how to manage it.

Systemic Stress Management

Whilst we've explored how to subside the physical symptoms of stress in the moment (the cure), this does nothing to reduce how often you respond in this way (the prevention). However, just as stress presents differently in each of us, so will the antidote. Find something that works for you. Let's look at three different areas you can take steps to systematically reduce stress in your life:

Reduce how often you feel stressed by changing your environment / surroundings
This may be by taking a break from a few minutes or a few days, to asking someone for help, declining meetings that are stressful and considering different ways of achieving the same outcome, or even change your job. However small or large the change, the point here is to actually change your surroundings and how you interact with them. If you don't make changes, you can't expect things to improve. Systematically chip away at the things that trigger stress.
Reduce the different types of triggers of an Amygdala Hijack - start by understanding when stress is a problem. I.e. a colleague makes a derogatory remark which triggers stress is a problem, a genuine need to fight or to escape a physical threat is not. Just like muscles, emotional intelligence can be strengthened. Practice makes perfect and it all starts with identifying the stressors or stimuli that trigger these responses. Once the stressors are identified, the key is to break the chain-reaction in your body quickly.
Increase your resilience to stress - this can be achieved from a multitude of personal acts such as spending time in nature, eating well, sleeping better, exercising, practicing mindfulness and improving your time management, building more supportive relationships and making deeper connections with people socially, expressing gratitude more or even seeking professional help.

In summary, reduce the likelihood that a stressful event can happen, reduce the range of events that cause this response by understanding them and reprogramming yourself, and then finally look after your machinery - your body & mind.

Changing your environment and 'Being Present'

Note that, when you change your surroundings, be present in the moment. Otherwise it's akin to driving through famous cities, past landmarks and then across wonderful countryside at night when all you actually see, hear and smell is the interior of your car.

Being Present in the Moment means using all your senses, focussing on one of them intensely, whether reading the number plate of a passing car, singling out a particular bird in a nearby tree or bush who is singing loudly, smelling the air when spending time in nature as it changes from place to place or, when in the workplace, focussing on what types of shoes people are wearing. It only takes a moment to put the brakes on the Amygdala Hijack if caught early enough

Practising mindfulness and meditation is a great way to calm ourselves and reduce stress. Headspace and Calm are just a couple of apps that lots of people find effective.

Talking therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be useful in changing the way we think about problems and stressors and our resultant behaviour.

There is a wealth of material online suggesting ways of managing stress in great detail. We're not going to replicate it here. Our intention is to provide you with a basic framework and some prompts to help you think about what easy steps you can take today.

Recognising Stress In Yourself And Others

Stress can affect any of us both in and out of the working environment and can manifest itself in different ways. There is a difference between pressure and stress. Pressure can be a positive and motivating factor and is often essential in a job. It can help us achieve our goals and perform better. Stress occurs when this pressure becomes excessive. It is a natural reaction to too much pressure. See also the Pressure - Performance Curve here.

It is helpful to understand and recognise the potential signs of stress.

Common examples of stress indicators:

Physical – headaches, low energy, insomnia, chest pain, stomach upset.
Mental health – anxiety, depression, memory problems, inability to concentrate
Behavioural – Mood swings, aggression, drinking too much, eating too much or too little, disrupted sleep.

The above is not an exhaustive list and stress can manifest itself in lots of ways.

Managing Stress in Others

Managing stress in others can be a little harder. Each of us will feel stress differently, and to varying extents. It’s important to understand that your experience of stress will not be the same as their experience but both are equally valid and deserving of a compassionate response.

To support someone experiencing stress you need them to feel able to open up to you.

It takes a great deal of strength and courage for someone to share their feelings with you, it is a vulnerable position for them to be in. If you are the person they trust to open up to it’s a privilege but it’s also a responsibility. See also the Vulnerability-based trust here.

Encouraging some exploration of causes and possible strategies can be helpful but don’t try to solve their problems. That will simply compound the issue by taking away their power or control of the situation and can result in them feeling useless.

Empathy, compassion and listening are the skills needed in this situation but also, an ability to recognise when additional support, such as occupational health services might be needed.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) provides some great resources to support you in managing stress, from risk assessment templates and ‘how to’ guides to ‘talking toolkits’. See the link below. But, whilst these tools are all helpful you must remember you are engaging with a human being first and foremost, not a process.

Why Senior Managers Should Strive To Reduce Stress Levels?

There continues to be a growing understanding for how to foster high performance in the business world. However, we still observe a wide variety of out-dated attitudes towards the use of pressure, incentives, and support along with styles of accountability and reprimand from senior management that are considered to be necessary for achieving high performance.

Let’s deal with the legal obligations first. Employers in the UK have a legal duty to protect workers from stress by carrying out risk assessments and acting on them.

We won’t cover this in any great detail here. There is a wealth of information, guidance and products on the HSE website to support your organisation in meeting these requirements. Health and Safety Executive - Stress and mental health at work

So we know that we are obliged to manage stress, but why should we?

In short, not managing it can have devastating effects on both individuals and your business.

17 million working days were lost to stress, depression or anxiety in the year 2021/22 in the UK. That’s an average of 18.6 days off work per person reporting one of these conditions.

- ONS Labour Force Survey

Stress, anxiety and depression have been grouped here for statistical purposes but it’s important to note there are differences between them.

Depression affects people in different ways and has a variety of symptoms. The symptoms can be mild to severe from feeling persistently low over a period of time, through to having suicidal thoughts and a feeling that life is not worth living.

Anxiety disorders again have a range of symptoms such as unwarranted anxiousness, nagging worry and panic attacks, untreated, anxiety can become completely debilitating. It is often present alongside depression. In fact around half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Stress, as we’ve covered previously, is a response to a threat or an ongoing pressure. Anxiety can be a reaction to that stress response, so again, the two issues can often be seen side by side.

We are not healthcare professionals and as such provide only a summary here. It’s important you do your own research if you want to know more about these complex conditions.

Because our ability to conduct logical thinking is severely impaired when the higher cortex shuts down, not only does it impact our behaviour, it impacts the quality of decision making that ultimately will adversely impact the company performance.

Studies have shown that improving psychological safety in the workplace makes decision making quicker and with better decisions being made.

Culture is far too big a subject to address here fully but we’ve touched on it here as it’s so vital in setting the tone for trust and psychological safety, which in turn plays an important part in reducing many work related causes of stress.

Think about your organisation, does it provide a supportive environment? Do people feel able to speak out about difficulties they’re having without fear of criticism or repercussion?