2051: Is Stress Affecting Your Performance at Work? By Dr. Jenny Brockis on Workplace Wellbeing

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[00:00:55] This is Optimal Work Daily. Is Stress Affecting Your Performance at Work? By Dr. Jenny Brockis of drjennybrockes.com

[00:01:06] If you've ever felt so stressed you couldn't think, you're not alone. Stress is causing many of us to struggle with decision-making, memory, and accuracy in our day-to-day activities. The problem is worse when we're exposed to high levels of stress on a regular basis, because this leads to chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol

[00:01:26] triggering long-term changes in brain structure and function. The prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain used for executive functions, is especially susceptible to the damaging effects of toxic levels of cortisol. The hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with learning, memory, and emotional regulation, has been shown to shrink during periods of high stress.

[00:01:48] Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and has a number of very important functions in the body, including regulating blood pressure, blood glucose levels, where it works in conjunction with insulin, and keeps inflammation under control. Cortisol is produced by the brain, which is all well and good, except when it's not. While a little stress can be useful to upregulate performance, your Goldilocks brain doesn't function well at either extreme of too little or too much.

[00:02:14] If you're someone who normally flourishes under pressure, that's fine, so long as you are still taking sufficient time out for rest and recovery. Because just as every professional athlete knows, to stay at the top of your game means putting in enough practice, working hard, and resting in between. Signs your stress levels are getting to be a problem typically show up first as forgetfulness and irritability. If you've misplaced your car keys for the fifth time this week or snapped at your colleague when they clearly didn't deserve it,

[00:02:43] it's time to take a step back to ponder, is my stress getting the better of me? The dark side of neuroplasticity Other long-term brain changes associated with excessive cortisol and stress include an enlargement of the amygdala, the part of the brain's limbic system associated with emotional regulation. This is neuroplasty at work, but not in a helpful way. In this situation, the brain remains switched on to a permanent state of high alert.

[00:03:11] The limbic system seeks to take control of the governing body, the PFC, resulting in an emotional coup where you're left running on adrenaline with an associated loss of emotional control and loss of access to logic, analysis, or reasoning. That's why when under pressure, even the smartest people can make really dumb decisions. But the changes don't stop there. The extra steak knives on offer when cortisol is running riot is the reduction in neurogenesis,

[00:03:39] the production of new neurons due to a loss of BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and an overproduction of specialized glial cells that produce myelin. Honey, I shrunk my brain with stress is unfortunately a potential reality. Stress is a killjoy. Too much cortisol dampens your feel-good hormones, dopamine and serotonin, by damaging their receptor sites in the brain. Dopamine plays an important role in our reward circuitry and motivation.

[00:04:08] If dopamine levels are low, it makes it harder to feel inclined to put in the effort on that joint project you've been working on, and the associated lethargy may have you reaching for an extra coffee or three to try to restore a little mental energy. The damage starts before you notice. New research has shown how memory loss and brain shrinkage in middle-aged people is detectable before the symptoms show.

[00:04:32] In this study, over 2,231 people with an average age of 49 who were free of dementia underwent psychological testing and assessments for memory and cognition that was then repeated some eight years later. In addition, they had fasting morning cortisol levels taken and an MRI scan to measure brain volume. The bad news? After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, and BMI,

[00:04:57] high levels of cortisol were linked to poorer memory skills, cognition, and lower total brain volume. It can also promote weight gain, but that's another story. The other bad news? Prolonged exposure to high levels of stress and anxiety increase your relative risk for depression and Alzheimer's. Oh dear. Which means there's no time like the present to ensure your stress levels are kept in the healthy range. There are some simple strategies shown by the research to help.

[00:05:23] 1. Go for a walk, run, or other form of aerobic exercise on a daily basis. This is a great way to lower cortisol while boosting dopamine and BDNF. Don't just take my word for it. Get your trainers on and discover the benefits for yourself. 2. There are many different forms of meditation you could try, and it is a practice, so choose one and put it to the test. Mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation have been shown to be especially helpful.

[00:05:52] Even five minutes of meditation has been shown to produce cognitive benefits. More is better. Why not sign up for a class and make it a regular habit? 3. Choose healthy foods. Stress can often lead to comfort eating, where the preference for those foods high in salt, sugar, and fat contribute to a lower mood and poorer thinking. 4. Take time out to do other things than work. All work and no play is not only boring, it makes you less interesting, too.

[00:06:20] It's time to step out and explore other things. Why not take a dance class? Sign up to study a subject you know nothing about, or learn a musical instrument. 5. Hang out with friends and family. Being social is a superpower that reduces stress and creates that wonderful sense of safety and belonging. And 6. Share a laugh. Having a really good belly laugh is a fantastic physical workout and a brilliant way to dissolve away stress.

[00:06:47] Watch a funny video, visit your local comedy den, or share a joke. If high performance is your game, don't let stress get the better of you. Choose to undertake a variety of stress detoxing techniques regularly, and keep your mind ready for smarter, sharper thinking. You just listened to the post titled, Is Stress Affecting Your Performance at Work? By Dr. Jenny Brockis of drjennybrockes.com

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[00:07:44] See site for details. And thank you to Dr. Jenny Brockes, who as a keynote speaker has presented to and worked with thousands of people to empower them to cultivate their own thriving mind. What gets her out of bed in the morning is the opportunity to impact someone else's world, seeing the spark of insight in their eyes when they see what they can do for themselves. As a voracious reader and prolific writer, she continues to indulge her own curiosity and has just published her fourth book, Thriving Mind, How to Cultivate a Good Life.

[00:08:12] And as a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician and best-selling author, her vision is to enable everyone to be a happy, thriving human. Her site is definitely worth checking out. She's got a lot to offer there, so swing by drjennybrockes.com for a lot more. All right, that is going to do it for today. I hope you enjoyed our post and that you'll be back with me tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.