Written by: Leah Tomlin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
“The greatest thing, then, in all education, is to make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy.” – William James, Philosopher and Psychologist.
Have you ever followed the flight of a housefly? It’s difficult to keep focus as it darts and changes direction. To us, its flight seems erratic and uncontrolled. Does your head ever feel the same? As though you are focussed on one thing but too soon veering off on an altogether different path. Maybe thinking about so many things at once, that you can’t really think deeply about anything? The fly’s aerobatic movements are of benefit in terms of avoiding capture by predators. Our erratic and uncontrolled mental thoughts are less helpful, and likely indicate we need a break.
Stress isn’t all bad
Stress often gets bad press. Sometimes rightly so, but frequently unfairly. Contrary to popular belief, the neurological and physiological stress response caused by workplace demands can be incredibly positive. These normal fluctuations in stress are responsible for enhancing cognition, performance and immunity, as well as having anti-tumour effects (Dabhar, 2018). Short bouts of stress, intermittent through our day or week, such as those occurring when we have a pending deadline or a team talk to manage, cause activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System. The subsequent release of adrenaline that occurs primes us for a positive performance, by enhancing our awareness, increasing our heart rate, increasing blood pressure and blood flow to skeletal muscles.
Our normal stress response improves cognition and can be the driver of an inspirational presentation or provide the focus we require to get that grant application in on time. What’s more, repeated bouts of stress also enhance immunity (Munshi et al, 2020), causing the production of Killer T Cells that help fight against bacterial and viral infection. This can explain why, when we finally stop work and embark on the long-awaited holiday, we crash and get sick. The removal of the stressors (the factors causing the stress response) and the corresponding drop in adrenaline, compromise our immunity. So, living with those normal fluctuations in stress shouldn’t just be tolerated, but we should welcome them and learn to accommodate them.
Prolonged stress causes illness
Although there are cultural differences, there has long been certain righteousness that the workforce has in making judgements about people for their virtuous busyness. To be perceived as busy can be a symbol of status; a badge of honour to be proudly displayed. Thankfully, the pandemic has made many reassess the viability of such practice. The reality of living like this for extended periods and being busy to an excessive degree is neither healthy nor is it productive. Remaining on the relentless busy treadmill leads to lower workplace productivity, poor efficiency and burnout (Dubale et al, 2019).
In the modern world, our brains are bombarded daily with data: memos, updates, insights, news, policies, plans, people and their problems. These chaotic patterns of information can cause a prolonged stress response, leading to overwhelm, lack of concentration, inability to focus, and in extreme cases to chronic anxiety and depression. Couple this with our own high expectations and the mental price we pay can be huge. Prolonged stress causes changes in morphology and reduction in the volume of the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (Belleau et al, 2019); areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory consolidation, as well as decision making. It isn’t surprising then, that when stress is high for long periods, we become less able to think clearly, remember, learn or make decisions.
A 2021 HSE report shows that stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 51% of all work-related ill-health cases, and 55% of all working days lost due to work-related ill-health. Clearly, we have to orchestrate a fine balance between harnessing the positive elements of fluctuations in stress, ensuring we understand how to slam the brake on stress to prevent anxiety, as well as taking extended periods of valuable rejuvenation.
Know how to halt harmful stress and keep it at bay
The great news is that we harness the capacity to control our stress and prevent it from becoming pathological. Whether we adopt a practice of regular running, walking, mindfulness, yoga or breathing exercises to keep a healthy mind and body, there’s nothing to say that these practices aren’t of great value, but what about those times when our stress response is sudden and we feel like we need to abruptly halt it? In the run-up to a speaking event or an interview, we may feel our hearts racing, a dry mouth, butterflies, nausea, a flushed face and a shaky voice. It would be beneficial to be able to control this stress response to prevent it from inducing an anxiety attack.
The great news is we can fast and effectively control stress, using one technique. The secret is in the sigh (Ramirez, 2014). Yes, there is a significant biological benefit to the ‘sigh of relief’, the ‘sigh of despair’. The process of a sharp intake of breath (ideally through the nose, and ideally a double inhale) with a long and extended exhale (ideally through the mouth) has physiological, psychological and neurological benefits. In The Huberman Lab Podcast, professor of neuroscience, Andrew Huberman, explains this “physiological sigh” and its power in stimulating the Parasympathetic Nervous System and dramatically halting the adrenaline-fuelled stress response.
Another quick and simple method for calming ourselves and de-stressing is to expand our fields of vision, upwards and outwards. We spend so much time focussed inwards and downwards on our phones or laptops. This narrow gaze mimics the stress response. Take time to raise your head, relax your eyes and face and expand your field of vision, as if taking in the sunset or a beautiful panoramic view. This open gaze has a physiological effect on us and is immediately calming. Better still if there really is a beautiful sunset or view to take in.
Rest and rejuvenate the body and brain
What better time is there to prioritise our rest than the Christmas break, when much of the corporate world winds down? In order to be the fully functional, creative and innovative machine that it is designed to be, the brain needs periods to de-stress. The brain itself never rests, being increasingly active during sleeping hours; consolidating memories and new learning, keeping us breathing, maintaining our heart rates and more. However, studies show that a micro-break of as little as 60 seconds can benefit our working memory, mood and concentration capabilities (Heiland, 2021). It is also widely accepted now that 7-8 hours of consistent and quality sleep is key for brain functioning and longevity.
But what about longer periods of wakeful rest? Let’s remind ourselves that rest is not about sitting down to reshuffle thoughts about past conversations and reminisce about that person who said or did something hurtful. It cannot mean finding space for speculating about others’ thoughts or creating endless imaginary conversations that play out differently to those that were real. It’s not about reclining and ruminating on our failures. It’s not about taking time for a coffee to play mental ping pong with the lists of half-finished jobs that need completing.
What is the best form of wakeful rest?
‘The Rest Test’ (Hammond & Lewis, 2016) is the World’s largest survey on people’s ideas of rest. Data from 18,000 people from 134 countries reveals that the concept of rest is highly subjective. Different people find different activities and pursuits relaxing, although the number 1 activity that people find most restful is reading. This may reflect the opportunity to escape our own lives that reading offers. What this study demonstrates is the need for individuals to consider precisely what is restful and rejuvenating for them, and to make time for those things.
Now is the time to consider, pursue and indulge in our own relaxation. Whether that involves finding somewhere quiet to meditate or while away several hours with our favourite books, playing an instrument, drawing a picture, enjoying a long walk in nature, snuggling up on the sofa to watch a film with our loved ones or going for a run, we must devote time solely for those activities.
Social connections are vital to health
Essential to all humans is our requirement for social interaction. Even the most hardened of introverts need social connections as well as some periods of isolation. Long-term social isolation can have a powerful and life-long detrimental impact on health (Arzate-Mejía et al, 2020). Making time for others, to prevent isolation becoming loneliness, is crucial for mental and physical wellbeing. Being mindful of loneliness in ourselves and others, and taking action to prevent it, is never more on the agenda than during a pandemic.
So, don’t be one of those people who think periods of extended idleness are for the weak. The wise way to become the best version of yourself is to have focussed periods of deep work or learning, punctuated by short breaks, but with extended periods of relaxation and recuperation that allow you to be fully distanced from work-related stress. Only then will you become your most successful self. It’s time to swat that mental housefly and enjoy a proper, well-earned rest.
Leah Tomlin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Leah coaches professional women for transformation in leadership and life. She holds an exceptional range of qualifications and skills as a certified Executive Coach, business owner, published Neuroscientist and qualified Head Teacher. Her understanding of the brain, and how people learn, ensures she inspires transformational, life-long positive impact for leaders and their organisations. Her scientific background allows her to employ evidence-based brain and coaching methodologies that achieve success. Leah is passionate about gender equality, helping propel more women to the top and seeing them succeed as incredible leaders. She empowers women to understand how their brains can help and hinder them, enabling them to develop greater self-awareness, confidence and a dare-to-dream vision. Her clients love the way she coaches with emotional intelligence and warmth, focused on improving their leadership competency and helping them develop new and effective professional behaviours and habits. Working with Leah, leaders achieve greater success for themselves and their teams, as well as creating supportive cultures of excellence in their workplaces. Leah lives in Bristol, England, as a single mum to her three young children. She is passionate about wellbeing and takes time to enjoy her hobbies, including music, film, reading, art and design, yoga and dog-walking.
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Munshi, S., Loh, M.K., Ferrara, N., DeJoseph, M.R., Ritger, A., Padival, M., Record, M.J., Urban, J.H. and Rosenkranz, J.A., (2020). Repeated stress induces a pro-inflammatory state, increases amygdala neuronal and microglial activation, and causes anxiety in adult male rats. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 84, pp.180-199. Ramirez, J.M., (2014). The integrative role of the sigh in psychology, physiology, pathology, and neurobiology. Progress in brain research, 209, pp.91-129.
