May 26, 2022

Stress is a feeling of being under abnormal pressure, and it is a normal part of life. It can come from different aspects of our life, like family matters, workload, transitional periods, and more. Yet too much stress can lead to burnout and reduce our functioning at work and home. That is why it is essential to recognize the signs to avoid the cumulative effect that stress can have on us.

To discuss further implications and measures everyone can take in our day-to-day activities, WIB-Capital Region invited Caitlin Magidson, executive coach and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), for the meeting Managing Stress and Creating a Self-Care Plan. Caitlin merges knowledge around mental health, psychology, and career development to empower clients in reaching their goals for more clarity and fulfillment in life.

During the session, she brought up research made in 2020 by the Kaiser Family Foundation that shows that ten adults in the US reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive order. Although high, the number is pre-pandemic, and according to Caitlin, everyone can attest now that this number has increased even more over the last two years. Work plays a big part in the stress equation, and it affects all the levels of employees, no matter the organizational chart. “Some mental health issues disrupt day-to-day functioning, impacting more than others, but the prevalence of symptoms is the same from the C-suite to individual contributors,” said Caitlin. But stress is not necessarily bad. The proper amounts of stress can help us focus, reach goals, and protect the body. For instance, in the case of a presentation, the person will feel stressed, but it will motivate her or him to prepare well. If this person is dealing with too much stress, she or he might get sick more often and experience a lack of focus. When stress becomes chronic and it’s not managed, it can lead to burnout.

According to Caitlin, we should all recognize that our brains, even though we don’t see them, are doing so much for us each day and our environment impacts them. By looking for the signs and creating a self-care plan for more resilience, difficult emotions become easier to tolerate and regulate. “We may see things that are going wrong. It’s actually a practice to see what’s going well, things like a gratitude practice that doesn’t have a survival purpose to it. For instance, looking for what’s going well reminds us to be safe in our bodies. Breathing helps the brain remember that it is safe,” she explains.

As Caitlin reminds us, emotions are automatic and innate psychological reactions, not necessarily good or bad. Thoughts always trigger emotions and then sensations in the body. An alternative for a stressful situation is to find a reframe or an alternative thought that’s more balanced. It is important to be aware of and control the expression of our own emotions.

After encouraging the participants to talk about what triggers them into complex emotions and moments of stress, the coach invited everyone to take a few minutes to self-reflect and pointed out that self-care is not necessarily selfish when it gives us opportunities to develop and mature.

*This article was first published at Women In Bio website.