Stress has a different physiological profile to burnout. Burnout is the body's way of telling us we need to slow down, that we need to cope with the thread or the strescer in front of us. When we push the limits, that's when stress becomes problematic. And people don't often know where that line is. In modern amounts, you kno increased blood pressure can improve lung function.
Stress affects everyone, but we all express and experience it differently. Hearing how a nurse practitioner responds to the various stressors of her job reveals how stress works at a fundamental level. Workplace well-being researcher Mandy O’Neill says that we’re more likely to feel stressed when there is an imbalance between the threat we’re facing and the resources we have to prevent damage or danger. When the current threat feels greater than our available resources, we become — understandably — mentally and emotionally strained.
The two of them join Amy B to discuss the constant challenge of managing stress, as well as actions that help control tension and anxiety — or, even better, the stressors themselves.
Guests:
Sarah Rose Lamport is a nurse practitioner.
Olivia (Mandy) O’Neill is an associate professor of management in the George Mason University School of Business and a senior scientist at the university’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being.
Resources:
Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter.
Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org