The key concept in managing stress is the idea of taking con-
trol. Jayne-Anne Gadhia was the most forthright of those I inter-
viewed about this subject: “I am stressed if I am not in control or if
I am not well organized.”
Indeed, for many people, helplessness is a major contributor
to stress. What is important is to work out what you can do some-
thing about and what you are not able to influence. The most
stressful moments are those over which we feel we have no control.
When we are stranded on a railway station late at night and the last
train is canceled, for example, we feel helpless rage. When we are
desperately trying to produce papers for an important meeting or
against an external deadline and the photocopier jams, we may
experience a rage of impotent desperation. But, even in these situ-
ations we can minimize the stress. A call home to reassure your fam-
ily, or a decision to pay out on an expensive taxi or to call a friend
and ask to stay the night, if taken quickly, stops us sinking into
frightened inactivity. Or, early decisions to redeploy other staff, use
another copier, or go to an outside copy shop can reduce the angst
associated with the inevitability of mechanical failure. At a deeper
level, the application of double-loop thinking (see page 174) can
provide more creative system options to many of the predictable life
experiences.
When we are under great stress, we want to fight or run away.
Stress is at the heart of ensuring our successful survival as a species.
We have to decide whether to stay or go off to pastures new.
Biologically, our heart starts beating up to five times faster and our
adrenal gland produces cortisol. Our blood vessels expand to ensure
better blood circulation, our pupils dilate for better sight, and our
digestive system is shut down through the narrowing of the blood
vessels that feed the organs involved in digestion. All of this is con-
trolled by the hypothalamus in our brain. If the incident of stress is
short lived, our biological systems return to normal and no harm is
done. If it is prolonged, we suffer from all the well-known stress-
related illnesses: ulcers, bowel diseases, depression, loss of memory,
and a reduced immune system.
Luckily, there are many symptoms you can spot before you
start to suffer more seriously. Here are just a few:Balancing Your Life 229