“Stress can keep us awake at night and make us ill, but in some cases it can also help us cope with challenges and threats. Is it possible to find a balance?”
In an increasingly frenetic world, in which the scales of values have undergone a paradigm shift, stress is no longer just identifiable as "a widespread sensation", but is also a biological and social reality that now almost inevitably permeates our lives (especially at work, but not only).
According to Censis data, 25% of employed workers have often experienced situations of stress or anxiety related to work, 24.3% have often not been able to balance work and private life as they would have liked, 24% often feel too much pressure when working.
But is stress really always a problem to be eliminated? And why is it so difficult to get rid of it and manage tensions correctly?
In recent years, we have come to realize that the truth is rather nuanced in this regard: stress can also have positive effects on our lives, making us more efficient and focused, but - if chronic - it can only become toxic.
This is why today more than ever it is urgent to talk about the role of work in this sense and invest in corporate well-being.
Let's try to delve deeper into the topic, thanks also to the article we happened to read on Internazionale, entitled " What is stress for ?"...
The positive role of stress
Despite its bad press, stress can also have a surprisingly helpful role.
Clemens Kirschbaum , one of the leading German experts on the subject, demonstrated this through the famous Trier Social Stress Test. (TSST).
The experiment demonstrates how our instinctive reaction to situations of controlled pressure translates into an increase in cortisol, a hormone capable of making us more alert, energetic and ready for action.
It's the kind of activation that allows us to face important presentations, manage emergencies, or complete complex tasks.
In these circumstances, stress does not weaken us; on the contrary, it prepares us to act.
Cortisol, however - as we will see better later - is not only a hormone that is beneficial for the body.
A stressed organism should in fact be “ imagined as a rubber band under tension, which gives way over time” (Clemens Kirschbaum)
Chronic stress
When stress becomes chronic the situation changes radically.
Instead of being the input for a useful “resolving” reaction or for a temporary state of alert, anxiety turns into a risk factor for physical and mental health.
Long-term elevated cortisol levels can compromise the immune system, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and damage areas of the brain such as the hippocampus, which is essential for memory.
Burnout cases are nothing more than an example of the consequences of a drastic drop in cortisol levels, following a high peak: like a rubber band, in fact, that breaks after being stretched for too long .
It is at this moment that the body simply surrenders to stress, allowing it to win the game!
Taking a step back, however, the sources of this constant state of anxiety are not necessarily linked solely to the work environment, but it is undeniable that it plays an important role in this sense…
Work-related stress
Work was once seen as a simple exchange (the offering of a commitment in exchange for compensation), it was attributed an ultimate purpose (a remuneration necessary for other purposes) probably even in a more simplistic way, but ultimately functional.
Today, work is often burdened with existential expectations.
Does our job really have to give us meaning, fulfill our identity, and make us happy?
Perhaps this is also what makes it more difficult to tolerate frustrating aspects, which cause pervasive stress, as psychologist Johanna Zabell says in the article translated on Internazionale.
Although it is certainly not easy (or sometimes possible) to always be happy and relaxed, are we sure we want to take it for granted that work can legitimately be an inevitable source of stress?
At the end of the nineteenth century, neurasthenia was almost considered chic, synonymous with sensitivity of soul and education, but even today sometimes “working yourself to death” and being a stakhanovite unfortunately seems to some to be a reason for boasting and pride.
As the biological key to the stress response, cortisol, teaches us: the secret is balance , or - in our specific case - work-life balance .
Without cortisol, we don’t take on challenges; but with too much cortisol, we still end up giving up, unable to face them.
The importance of emotional support
One of the most effective strategies for managing stress is surprisingly simple: get emotional support.
It is no coincidence that the importance of sociality and interpersonal relationships in the workplace is evident and Corporate Welfare must also play in its favor.
Studies based on the Trier Social Stress Test have revealed that people who receive encouragement from a partner or friend before facing a stressful situation have significantly lower cortisol levels.
If you don't feel listened to, supported and valued in your work context, social support can act as an emotional protection and can make the difference between productive energy and destructive stress.
Despite the undeniable value of colleagues' support, however, the problem goes much further and obviously needs to be solved at the root, eliminating the sources of stress and frustration in the company at the root!
Creating a more “relaxed” working future
The idea that stress is a symbol of success is slowly fading from the imagination of workers.
Although it has been considered a status symbol in the past, we are quickly realizing that the real “pride” is rather that of relaxation .
Relaxation is undeniably the new luxury , but it should not remain tangible only for the wealthy.
Companies must therefore invest more and more in well-being practices, also by supporting the culture of “less but better” (less load, more quality) according to which working better does not necessarily mean working more.
Organizational and company well-being
The company - as also emerged from the VIII Censis-Eudaimon Report - must become a real Wellbeing Hub .
However, well-being at work is not just an individual issue, but an organizational responsibility.
Companies like Jan-Philipp Martini's demonstrate that a scientific approach to stress can generate culture, prevention, and performance. After a period of severe stress that led to health problems, Martini decided to get involved with medicine: he measures the biological stress of employees through tests on saliva, hair, and heart rate, offering personalized solutions with his company Sapiens.
His message is clear: it doesn't matter who can tolerate more, but who can regenerate better.
Regardless of the approach of the former consultant turned wellness entrepreneur, promoting a healthy work environment with breaks, flexibility, emotional support and recovery spaces should not be a luxury or a virtue, but a strategic investment.
The new objectives of Corporate Welfare are today essential to the psychological and physical well-being of employees.
The osmotic relationship between work and private life must also be at the center of the entrepreneur's interest, to make a successful business grow in a healthy and constant way.
It is not “just” about employer branding , to attract or retain talent, and reduce harmful staff turnover or prevent job disaffection , but about promoting a broader concept of wellbeing , useful both to the employee and to profit.
Putting people at the center is what makes the difference , customizing the benefits offered based on individual needs and supporting employees in the most difficult choices , trying to make their lives easier, both at work and at home!