The Ripple Effect: Understanding Stress Within and Without, i.e. Stress Contagion & Flow
Understanding Stress Within and Without, i.e. Stress Contagion, Performance, Creativity, Leadership & Health - This piece tries to help you visualise what stress is doing within your body and nervous system and why you need to think twice about leaving a stressed manager at the top of your organisation to their own devices – lest they become a cortisol spreader!
Can you see it?
If stress were visible, its energy would dance around us, wrapping itself intricately around our nervous system, allowing us to take part in the dance to perform/create/lead, or overtaking us, like ivy.
The more I have studied stress, which I officially began to do in 2017 after I left my corporate job to do a master's in psychology, the more I believe it looks like poison ivy slowly entwining our nervous system and then others. We, the hosts, tend not to realise it is there, and before we know it, it becomes insidious and wraps around us, especially if we have not learnt the tools to channel and release it, which most of us have not.
What really makes me chuckle, but inside, I get seriously concerned is when people say:
“It’s just home stress /Work stress/relationship stress (delete as appropriate or add your own stressor) - It’ll be fine”, and then do nothing!
Watch the short video for another way to visualise it and some tools to help you release it:
According to trauma expert and author of ‘The Body Keeps the Score’, Dr Bessel van der Kolk, the nervous system is where stress is held and stored. Emotional specialist and psychologist Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett modifies this slightly by saying that the body and nervous system are the scorecard of stress.
This means the nervous system acts like memory foam for our stress, which is why it often leads to ill health, but it also sends 80% of the signals to the brain (not the other way around). Thus, if it senses a threat (real or not), or we need to act quickly (like in a race), a signal is sent to the brain, triggering the HPA axis (the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) to act and start the stress response sequence.
The problem is, if this is not channelled correctly or released effectively in the moment or over time, it does a number of different things, including raising our blood pressure and cortisol levels.
What does Stress do?
Stress flows indiscriminately—from work pressures, personal challenges, or relationship strains—unfazed by the boundaries we try to set by thinking we can mentally compartmentalise it by saying it's home stress, relationship stress, or work stress, in the vain hope that it won’t impact all our lives.
Some stress is good; it primes our nervous system, keeping us alert and prepared. But when it lingers, seeping into our very being, and most of us – with no fault of our own, struggle to release it effectively. And therein lies the danger.
Unreleased stress accumulates, manifesting as tension, bolstering cortisol levels, and stealthily paving the way for exhaustion, burnout, and even severe health issues like heart attacks. And the worst news is even the fit are not immune.
Are you a leader? Are you fit? Do you think you're managing high-functioning stress and travelling a lot? Maybe you're struggling to keep the weight off.
I have many cautionary tales to share of people ignoring the signs. Many top executives whom I have tutored at the mental health charity Restore or coached 121 had a quiet or very public breakdown (think of Niles from the sitcom Fraser, who ended up stripping naked in a café after claiming he was coping after several life issues), panic attacks, and burnt out and depressed. I could tell you my own sorry story: as an ex-personal trainer who ate healthy, trained in the gym five times a week (and still does) and is the typical burnt-out corporate Product Innovator who worked under stress, uncertainty and hard leadership, and went through 6 major operations before I looked for answers.
This is why this message matters:
You matter. Your energy matters. Your gift and creativity matter, and even stress matters as it tries to communicate with you. Although life and problems are hard, we have a way to build inner resilience and tools to keep going. This requires self-mastery; from here, we don’t just handle stress. We find a way to start to tap into the neuro-physiology that geniuses use to break through when a problem arises. This is at the core of my work, democratising genius, intuition, and joy to break through without burnout and create and solve problems like a genius, which has its foundation in self-mastery. When we know how to navigate our neurophysiology, we can put ourselves into a state of flow and creativity to create new innovations, lead at a higher level and solve problems.
From a neuroscience perspective, this is the case because stress puts our brains into a high beta state. It is a place where we cannot get creative or innovative, and why so many people, under pressure, repeat the same (tired) old ideas (in work, life and relationships) as their brain and our subconscious brain - the source of much of our imagination circuits via the default mode network and joy do not come online and allow us to think divergently. This is the root of creativity: to make an effective breakthrough. This is a subject I am currently writing about Creative Flow and why only 1% of our switch on their neural creative genius circuits, even though we all can. The answer, in short, often lies in first easing the nervous system, then navigating the brain.
However, the impact of stress doesn't end with us.
Stress Contagion – Are you a stress cortisol leaker?
Stress is an energy that spills over, affecting those around us. It's what psychologists call "stress contagion." Three decades' worth of studies, including a comprehensive 2020 Danish research project involving five and a half thousand managers, vividly highlight its repercussions on teams and productivity. The evidence is stark—stress permeates through families, workspaces, and communities, shaping interactions and outcomes in none-beneficial nor productive ways.
Energy Ripples
Stress is an energy that ripples and will be felt without words.
Impacts of stress on sick days:
Consider this: In 2022/23, our health issues like stress, depression, anxiety, and musculoskeletal disorders accounted for a staggering number of lost workdays—17.1 million and 6.6 million, respectively (UK Govt statistics)
If you are aware of feeling stressed, this is good. You can do something about it, but many people don’t want to admit it in a work environment– Think of it like this.
Would you allow someone with COVID-19 to sneeze all over everyone?
I hope the answer is no, so why are we not teaching our managers and yourselves how to spot longer-term stress, how to channel it, and how to release their stress?
I have become passionate about this, as it’s not worth talking to and coaching people in innovation and product processes and frameworks if the people I am working with cannot master their neurophysiology. It’s like asking you to drive and perform in second gear.
Many companies are putting a manager high with stress at the top of your organisation and allowing them to be in an infector:
Neuroscientist and business adviser Dr Tara Swart, in a recent interview with Steven Bartlett, the entrepreneur and host of the Dairy of the CEO, calls this a cortisol-infection spreader, lowering productivity and creativity, reducing human sustainability and well-being at work and impacting home life. See my keynote on the myth of the work-life balance; I explain more about why this is so. Dr Tara also talks about a study on weight lifters where you can measure the stress from a body two and a half cm away.
The truth is we can feel the stress of others:
Have you ever had someone walk into the room and they sucked the goodness or good vibe and ideas away? I call them energy vampires, and quantum physics will tell us that we are Energy first, and most of us are sensitive to other people’s energy without a word being said.
Now we know it ripples and spreads, how long do the effects last?
The Danish study conducted by Bonnesen et. Al. (2022) found the impacts lasted for about a year after the manager reported stress and could often lead to burnout of their staff:
“In this study, we find that a stress contagion effect among managers and their employees can be traced a full year after the manager reports symptoms of occupational stress. Approximately 10 per cent of the manager’s stress translates into employee stress. This is no small amount and is well in line with findings from other similar panel studies, such as Chullen (2014) who found that approximately 11 pct. of the variation in employee burnout could be explained by similar symptoms among managers three months before [31].
The above quote is for the managers who sought help, but how many don’t?
Are you a cortisol infection spreader? How to spot the signs
Dr Tara Swart claims that stress will make your belly fat as an evolutionary survival skill that may indicate food would be scarce. The constant leaking and retaining of extra cortisol would maintain weight even if you exercise or eat less. She says the only real cure is to get to the root of the issue.
Symptoms of high stress could look like:
Not sleeping well
Belly fat
Gut issues from IBS to heartburn
Irritability or quick to react, especially at home, despite being polite to co-workers
Drying of the system: Is your skin dry?
Our skin is the largest organ, and stress shows very quickly.
Is your body talking to you?
Are you feeling tension, heavy or languishing?
Releasing stress is a different practice from emotional intelligence (but that is a start). Emotional Intelligence means we become aware of the impact of our emotions on ourselves and others. Acknowledging and releasing stress, for me, is self-mastery 101. After returning four years later to one of my corporate roles, after completing my Masters in psychology at university, I had more than six conversations with senior colleagues who claimed they had felt extremely burnt out and were left traumatised by the culture we had all worked under. For others who said nothing and given my training, when I spoke to them, let’s just say their flame within had dimmed.
My main worry is for entrepreneurs, innovators, and visionaries who work in stressful and uncertain situations. The brain and body dislike uncertainty, and it becomes even worse if we face unexpected life stresses. However, this group of people feel they have no choice but to keep going, just like me, and continuously work under uncertain conditions.
The truth is that these individuals must prioritize mastering their nervous system to sustain themselves and their businesses, which is something I personally learned the hard way. That's why I was motivated to find tools that can help us feel more comfortable in our bodies and navigate towards creativity so we can continue innovating and leading with a positive mindset. Creativity is, after all, the key to human evolution.
Self- Reflection:
So, are you a leaky cortisol person – are you aware of it? Our bodies, intricately connected and sensitive, start interpreting stress from the sensations and stress signals of others.
What can we do about this stress and stress contagion?
The short video offers four simple in-the-moment techniques, but ideally, helping you identify your nervous system type will help you use more effective techniques.
Techniques:
Get Conscious of your energy and your body. Do you know where you tend to hold stress (shoulders, belly, skin or hair problems)?
Somatic Practices - Introception: Learn how to ease your nervous system before you practice mindfulness or meditation. Otherwise, you will never allow yourself the opportunity to get deep enough to make Mindfulness or meditation an effective practice.
Physical Activity: Engage in regular physical activity. Exercise helps flush out accumulated stress hormones and boost endorphin production, enhancing overall well-being, but don’t use it like a band-aid to hide the issue. You still need to get to the root of your stress.
Healthy Boundaries: Establish boundaries to protect your mental and emotional space. Learn to say no (and yes) when needed and carve out time for self-care,
Gratitude list: Writing down things that you are grateful for impacts the serotine that can help with your stress levels. Try this science-based practice to use gratitude to shift you from darkness to lighter energy (and read this article).
Seek Non-judgemental Support - Reach out to a non-judgemental friend to witness you, or a support group, Therapist, or a good practitioner with calming energy to listen. They can also help you understand what type of tools are needed for your specific nervous system needs.
Look out for my workshop in January 2024 to help you identify your dominant nervous system type and reaction and the tools to help you take control.
Name it to tame it - Foster open dialogues about stress within non-judgmental individuals. You don’t need to go through it alone and believe me. Stress will eventually make itself heard.
A Final Note: Stress a collective endeavour
Remember, releasing stress isn't just a personal responsibility; it's a collective endeavour. By actively working on stress management, we benefit ourselves and contribute positively to the well-being of those around us. Let's create ripples of calm amid the sea of stress, one release technique at a time.
As my friend and leadership expert, Sonya Harvey, keeps reminding me:
“Not for self, but for all.”
The journey past stress:
Some days, when my energy is particularly heavy, and I feel that I have no control over situations, I do keep the above quote in my head, repeating it like a mantra: “Not for self, but for all”. I am not doing this just for me - This quote reminds me to keep going, which complements the science of good habits, which shows that we tend to stick to good things when the outcome is bigger than just us and I’m not alone!
For me, tackling stress has meant taking control of my health, weight (via my sabotaging habits), and career, having better relationships, and building resilience and psychological safety.
That then allowed me to go deeper: to be more creative and open up my innate intuition, which is ultimately blocked when we are stuck in stress and fear.
If you are motivated to tackle stress and want to build your emotional resilience, start with your nervous system and be amazed at where it will take you. But it’s not a one-and-done, but simple daily tools and reminders that you can use when needed.
I hope this serves as some mind food, and please share it with anyone you feel may need some tools.
Take Care.
With Moonbeams
Nila
www.awakeningflow.com
PS Look out for my webinar in Mid January 2024 on identifying your dominant nervous system type and tools for self-mastery, resilience and creativity, i.e. Opening up to your creative genius flow.
Take Care.
With moonbeams
Nila
References:
Bonnesen, L., Pihl-Thingvad, S. & Winter, V. The contagious leader: a panel study on occupational stress transfer in a large Danish municipality. BMC Public Health 22, 1874 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14179-5