INTHEBLACK Mental Health 2021 - Magazine - Page 18
Mental Health and Resilience
W O R K S M A R T // S T R E S S M A N A G E M E N T
STORY JOHANNA LEGGATT
GOOD STRESS
VS BAD STRESS
NOT A L L STRES S I S CREATED EQ UAL. THE G O O D
NEWS I S, STRES S CA N SO METIMES B E YO U R FR IEND.
AT A
GLANCE
A moderate level of stress
on a daily basis can help
guard against “oxidative
damage” associated with
disease.
Stress is often rooted in
fear. To an extent, this
fear can motivate, but if
it starts to take over, it
can cause indecision,
irritability and stress,
leading to destructive
workplace habits.
A key tactic in keeping
stress at a manageable
level is establishing clear
boundaries between
work and home life and
identifying activities that
help you to unwind.
18 ITB October 2021
M
ost of us, at one time or another, have
experienced the debilitating impact of stress
first-hand. With the global pandemic blurring
the boundary between work and home, and business
closures and redundancies affecting a range of sectors,
it is no surprise that many workers are feeling
overwhelmed, anxious and burnt out.
The term “burnout” has entered society’s lexicon for the
long term, with the World Health Organization labelling
workplace burnout an “occupational phenomenon”, falling
just short of classifying it as an illness.
According to psychologist and author Dr Amy Silver,
stress is the direct outcome of “taking on too much
work or expecting too much of yourself”.
“And that stress is always rooted in the fear that
people are feeling,” she says.
DISTRESS VS EUSTRESS
Not all stress is created equal, however, and not all
stress is damaging to our health and wellbeing.
A landmark 2013 study, published in
Psychoneuroendocrinology, has found that moderate
levels of daily, manageable stress may help protect
against “oxidative damage”, commonly linked to disease.
Many psychologists and coaches also differentiate
between negative “distress” (associated with traumatic
events such as a relationship break-up) and good
stress, “eustress” (associated with exciting events such
as starting a new job).
Barbara Clifford, founder of The Time Tamer
coaching business, says this distinction is important.
“The notion of everyone being stress-free is wrong,
because we all need some level of stress to function,”
Clifford says.
“The problem is when the pendulum swings too far
the other way and people burn out, which can often
involve not being able to concentrate, being irritable
and feeling tightness in our body.”
Silver agrees and notes there is a difference between
“good fear”, or good stress, that motivates us, and the
crippling fear that induces anxiety.
“The good fear is what helps us to succeed, and it is
what makes us try hard,” she notes.
Fear only becomes destructive when it takes over and
assumes the role of a highly critical inner drill sergeant that
controls our thinking, rather than the other way around.
“When this inner voice is really loud, it can interfere with
action and moving forward, and we can get caught in
doubt, in indecision, in irritability and stress,” Silver says.
Too much fear, according to Silver, is what causes
people to adopt destructive workplace habits, such as
perfectionism and micromanagement, as well as experience
the imposter syndrome and fear of speaking out.
DEFINING BOUNDARIES
One of the key tactics in not letting stress cross over
into the danger zone is to define clear boundaries
around your home and work life. “We used to rely on