Managing stress

- [Jim] People talk about stress all the time. They're under a lot of stress, they're stressed out, they're going through stress. There are strategies that can help and the first is appreciating what stress is. - [Heidi] Stress itself isn't really the problem. The problem is when we fail to see stress for what it is, information and energy that needs to be used to fuel some sort of change. - [Jim] No matter how you define it, stress can take its toll and you can thank a saber-toothed tiger for that. - [Scott] For hundreds of thousands of years, we've been programmed to react to danger or stimulus in a certain way and that reaction kept us alive during our cave people days. In our modern world where we're surrounded by constant stimulus, this reaction is what causes stress in our bodies. And that stress, over time, can lead to serious health issues. - [Jim] And then there's stress at home versus stress at work. Each can be very different but each can also fuel each other. - [Srini] If you have stress at home, remember that it's the same stressed brain that you take to work every day and that's why managing stress at home can decrease your work-related anxiety as well. - [Jim] Managing stress, that's the subject of this LinkedIn Learning highlight, your curated collection of insights from LinkedIn learning courses. Hi, everybody Jim Hyde here from LinkedIn Learning. Let's start out by looking at what stress is. - [Heidi] Stress is simply the gap between demand and capacity or maybe more specifically, it's what happens in that gap between demand and capacity. - [Jim] That's Heidi Hannah. She's an integrative neuroscientist and the executive director for the American Institute of Stress. She's also the instructor in a LinkedIn Learning course called Managing Stress for Positive Change. - [Heidi] Think about it, when you don't have enough time, stress helps you to be hyper focused to try to get more done in less time. When you don't have enough money, stress gives you a sense of urgency to focus your attention on making sure you're covering your costs. If you don't have enough energy physically, stress triggers hormones to give you a surge, at least temporarily to get out of bed in the morning and try to get things done. - [Jim] Now, those don't sound like particularly bad things. Does that mean there's such a thing as good stress? Not exactly. - [Heidi] Stress is not good or bad but there are differences in how stress affects us based on the type of stress, the intensity and how long it continues. I want to encourage you not to think of this as good stress or bad stress because even that can get really confusing. So, it's just easier not to try to categorize stress as being good or bad but rather to look at the impact of stress as either being something that can stimulate growth and positive adaptation or something that can trigger breakdown and burnout as a result of not being used effectively. - [Jim] There's an encouraging message in Heidi Hannah's course, Managing Stress for Positive Change and that message is that feeling stressed proves you care. - [Heidi] I know it can feel like a stretch to think of stressing as a blessing but honestly, I've personally come to see it that way in my own life. Because the worst possible thing that could happen is that we just don't care anymore and if we're still noticing stress, it's actually a reminder that we do care. Because if you didn't care, you wouldn't feel stressed, right? And the fact that you're noticing stress means that your brain still believes that there's something you can do about it. If you've ever experienced burnout, you know that there comes a point sometimes where no matter how upsetting something is, you just don't have the energy to even care anymore. This to me is much more concerning than feeling stressed. - [Jim] So, stress is a signal, it's information and if you keep that in mind, you can use that signal to affect some changes. - [Heidi] The first step of learning how to use stress for good is to assess it, get clear about what it is and where it's coming from. The second step is to appreciate it. To actually appreciate that stress is trying to help you not hurt you, appreciate that you're aware enough to notice it and appreciate yourself for caring enough to give it some concern. And if it's really stressful, you can appreciate something else that's happening right now that enables you to experience a moment of gratitude like having your health or having a roof over your head or just having the air that you're breathing in this moment. Because feeling grateful, actually shifts your brain chemistry to be able to think more clearly, logically and even creatively so that you can problem-solve more effectively. Then with more clarity and more creativity flowing in your brain, you can start to think through adjustments that can be made to either reduce demand or increase your capacity which is the third and final step. - [Jim] There's a lot more advice and insight in Heidi Hannah's course, Managing Stress for Positive Change. One thing that she and other experts in stress management recommend is breathing. Solving problems requires thinking clearly and thinking clearly is easier when your body isn't polluted with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenalin. Breathing can help. - [Scott] We have two nervous systems in our bodies, the sympathetic known as fight or flight and the parasympathetic system known as rest and digest. - [Jim] That's Scott Shute. He's the head of mindfulness and compassion programs here at LinkedIn and he's the instructor of a LinkedIn learning audio course called Mindful Meditations for Work and Life. - [Scott] Imagine way back in time and we're all hanging out at night around the campfire, we hear a stick snap in the woods and instantly the fight or flight system turns on. Our pupils dilate so we can see better in the dark, our blood gets stickier so that if we're injured we won't bleed to death, our lungs and muscles get more oxygen and our bodies are flooded with the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. And this is great if we need to run from a tiger and it's less great when the same system gets activated by our modern life. You know, that email from an angry customer, your manager giving you feedback on your latest project, the meeting that gets a bit heated, traffic getting worse and worse and worse and you're late to your kids baseball game. This continuous barrage of modern day stimulus amps up the fight or flight system. - [Jim] As Scott describes, a lot of things can help keep the fight or flight system in check. Going for a walk, playing with the dog, listening to music but in the middle of a workday or in an endless airport security line, these options aren't always practical. That's where breathing comes in. - [Scott] One option that's always available to us is our breath. Just taking a few conscious deep breaths starts to activate the parasympathetic system and this helps break up some of the mental spinning we often get caught in and our bodies start to relax. - [Jim] Scott's course, Mindful Meditations for Work and Life contains a lot of exercises for breathing and simple meditations that you can follow along with. There's a lot of science that shows that practicing activities like these, even just simple ones like quietly taking three deep breaths can help you reboot and clear out those stress hormones to become what Scott calls an upgraded version of yourself. This upgrading process, meditations and breathing exercises fall under the larger umbrella of mindfulness and that's the subject of a LinkedIn Learning course called Mindfulness. It's by Dr. John Almond. An executive coach and professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. - [John] What is mindfulness? A great place to start is to look at it as two words in one, mind fullness. Mind fullness as compared to mind distractedness or mind scatteredness or what the heck is my mind doing this? Of course these distractions happen to all of us. Clinical research shows it's natural, it's normal brain functioning for the mind to wander in ways that often create discomfort, dissatisfaction or disconnection. It's what the human brain does. Put it another way, no one can cure the human condition but we can wake up from a trance-like trend of thoughts, feelings or actions that make us sidetracked, depleted, partial people. When we're mindful, were not partial, were fully engaged, attentive, awake, aware, we're not drifting among might have beens from yesterday or overwhelmed and undone by tasks of today or paralyzed by unnerving maybe's of tomorrow. - [Jim] In his course, again it's called Mindfulness, John details a variety of mindfulness techniques for dealing with unwelcome experiences ranging from stress to fear and worry. Mindfulness can also help with anxiety which is what can happen when stress goes unchecked. When the external forces that cause stress, say a big deadline, cause feelings of apprehension and dread that often stick around even when the external forces end, it can create a feedback loop where you start worrying about worrying. Mindfulness can help. - [Srini] Recent research suggests that mindfulness can be helpful when you worry, yet many people still don't understand mindfulness. - [Jim] That's Dr. Srini Pillay. He's a psychiatrist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School and the instructor of a LinkedIn Learning course called Managing Anxiety in the Workplace. - [Srini] Let's take a look at why mindfulness helps anxiety and how you can incorporate it into your work and life. Anxiety is often caused by automatic worries and negative thoughts. That is your mind is on overdrive and the distressing thoughts keep coming. Usually, many of these thoughts are unhelpful, creating more anxiety than it's necessary. Mindfulness is simply a way to deal with the mental chatter in your head. Instead of being swept up into a panic by your worries and self-criticism, mindfulness allows you to have a different relationship with your thoughts. Instead of running after every thought and reacting to it, mindfulness teaches you to pay attention to your mental chatter without judging it and without being distracted by it. - [Jim] Dr. Pillay's course goes on to address specific types of anxiety and provides advice on managing it and stress, not only at work but also at home. - [Srini] If you have stress at home, remember that it's the same stressed brain that you take to work every day and that's why managing stress at home can decrease your work-related anxiety as well. Many people strive for the ideal work-life balance but this is often not realistic. Striving for a perfect balance may actually increase your anxiety. It's more realistic to try and manage your anxiety at home by remembering a few things. First, every evening set aside 10 minutes to prioritize your tasks for the following day. This way, you can divide tasks into essential and non-essential ones. Next, make sure that you don't take on too much at home. If you need more help at home, ask your spouse or children to help you and if you can afford to hire help, do that too. If you live alone don't try to do all of your chores in one day. Being overstretched will only increase your anxiety. Also, remember to manage your screen time effectively. It might be tempting to plop on the sofa and stare at the TV or your phone after dinner but too much screen time can add to your stress. Instead, plan a low-key get-together with a friend or build exercise into your evening. Getting out in nature like neighborhood parks or hiking trails can reduce anxiety too. In fact, they may reduce psychological stress more than exercising indoors. - [Jim] Let's wrap up this look at stress and anxiety with a few takeaways. Number one, see stress for what it is, as a sign that you care and as information that you can use to fuel some sort of change. Remember, as Heidi Hannah points out. - [Heidi] Stress is simply the gap between demand and capacity. - [Jim] Number two, don't forget to breathe. Think about working some simple breathing exercises and even meditations into your routine. When you do as Scott Shute says. - [Scott] Our muscles relax, the cortisol and adrenaline start to flush from our bodies and the cognitive parts of our brains turn back on. - [Jim] And number three, explore mindfulness techniques to improve your focus. In John Almond's words. - [John] So, what is mindfulness? It's two words in one and one word to understand in two ways. First, something you do now that can enhance the quality of the moment. Second, something you do over time that can enhance the quality life. - [Jim] We've heard highlights from four LinkedIn Learning courses here. Managing Stress for Positive Change, Mindful Meditations for Work and Life, Mindfulness and Managing Anxiety in the Workplace. There are a lot more courses dealing with stress management, mindfulness and similar topics in the LinkedIn Learning library.