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Renewal: dealing
with stress rather
than eliminating it

10  Business Spotlight 2/2022 TRENDS

 Bluthochdruck, eine erhöhte Herzfrequenz, Erschöpfung — all das sind
Anzeichen von Stress. Höchste Zeit etwas dagegen zu unternehmen.
Möglichkeiten, auch wissenschaftlich fundierte, gibt es. Aber man muss
sie kennen und wissen, wie man sie umsetzt.

Von OLIVE KEOGH

ADVANCED

B
efore the pandemic stopped life in its tracks, business
leaders thought that VUCA — volatility, uncertainty,
complexity and ambiguity — summed up the chal­
lenges they faced (see also Business Spotlight 11/2021). “At the heart of
stress management
Then the coronavirus crisis accentuated these challenges and
heaped more on top. It became clear that the problems associ­
ated with remote working, social isolation and the threat of con­
tracting Covid-19 were taking their toll. The demand for stress
management training spiked.
But can stress really be “managed”, or is this coming at the
is renewal, not
problem the wrong way? Professor Richard Boyatzis, an in­
ternationally recognized expert in emotional intelligence and merely the attempt
to reduce stress”
behavioural change, believes that efforts to reduce stress are
misdirected. He says that a more effective solution is to become
familiar with the concept of resilience (see box, p. 14). “At the
heart of stress management is renewal, not merely the attempt
to reduce it,” Boyatzis says.
The causes and consequences of stress are well documented.
Far less attention has been paid to what might help soften its
impact on our mental, physical and emotional health. It is much
easier to identify common stress triggers than it is to define ef­
fective solutions.

Coping, not eliminating

Boyatzis is a professor of organizational behaviour, psychology
and cognitive science at Case Western Reserve University in
Cleveland, Ohio, one of the leading private research universities
in the US. Having spent his professional life observing human annoying  drop a call  spike 
behaviour, he has come to the conclusion that the emphasis ,  ärgerlich, nervig ,  eine Gesprächs- ,  in die Höhe schnellen
should be on how to cope with stress rather than trying to elim­ verbindung beenden
appreciate sth. strain , Belastung
inate it. [E(pri:SieIt]  emphasis , Betonung,
take one’s toll 
,  sich etw. bewusst sein Hauptaugenmerk
“From decades of research we know that stress is one of the ,  seinen Tribut fordern
very nasty things in life that accentuate almost every autoim­ boot up , hochfahren nasty [(nA:sti] 
tracks: stop sth. in its ~  
,  übel, schlimm
mune and neurodegenerative disorder,” he says. “The problem compromised  ,  etw. zum Stillstand
is that most people don’t fully appreciate how much the annoy­ ,  hier: gefährdet not merely  ,  nicht allein bringen

ing aspects of stress — such as your cell phone dropping a call contract sth.  [kEn(trÄkt] overall  trigger , Auslöser
,  sich mit etw. infizieren , gesamt; hier: kumulativ
Foto: Delmaine Donson/iStock.com

or your computer not booting up every day — contribute to VUCA (volatility,

what is medically classified as an overall ‘strain’. When you add cope with sth.  recipe [(resEpi]  uncertainty, complexity
,  mit etw. klarkommen ,  Rezept; Formel and ambiguity)
moments of acute stress, like a pandemic or social disruption or [)ÄmbI(gju:Eti] 
disorder  remote working 
losing one’s job, you have the recipe for people becoming com­ ,  Volatilität, Unsicherheit,
,  (krankhafte) Störung ,  hier: Arbeit im
promised.” Komplexität und Mehrdeu-
Homeoffice
disruption  tigkeit
Stress is a fact of life for most people, and it is the cumulative , Störung; hier: Verwer- resilience [ri(zIliEns] 
effect of mild stresses that causes the most damage. Taking time fung(en) ,  Resilienz, Belastbarkeit

TRENDS 2/2022 Business Spotlight 11 

 Reactivation:
getting a spring
back in your step

off, doing fun things, socializing, disconnecting from the digital
world and not becoming overly immersed in social media can all
help. But these quick fixes don’t go to the heart of the long-term
solution. This, says Professor Boyatzis, is learning how to acti­
vate the power of the body’s built-in recovery process, otherwise
known as the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).
Rebounding from stress
“Each form of stress activates the sympathetic nervous system
and an accumulation of stress arousals becomes strain,” Boyatzis
explains. “Activating the PNS reverses most of the damage and
is a means for the body, mind and spirit to rebuild and renew.
Being able to engage the PNS has been called ‘resilience’. In a
broad sense, resilience is what helps us rebound from stress and
better than a few long ones. The ultimate aim is to spend more
minutes per week on renewal than on things that cause stress.
Boyatzis is a close collaborator of emotional intelligence guru
Daniel Goleman. Together, they have developed and launched a
self-guided online tool called the Personal Sustainability Index,
or PSI (see box, p. 14). Goleman says this “can help you reflect on
the sources of stress in your life, as well as the buffers that can
speed your recovery.”
Most stress audits focus on big life events, such as buying a
house or getting divorced. The PSI looks at the ordinary things
arousal [E(raUz&l]  induce sth. [In(dju:s]  reverse sth. 
, Erregung ,  etw. herbeiführen ,  etw. umkehren

strain.” audit [(O:dIt]  moderate exercise short burst ,  hier: Spurt,

, Überprüfung [(mQdErEt]  kurze (zielgerichtete)
Each person is different, and what activates renewal for one
, maßvoller/moderater Aktivität 
may not do so for another. But a sufficient number of positive buffer [(bVfE] , Puffer
Sport (burst  , Ausbruch,
interventions that are most likely to engage the PNS have now deity [(deIEti] 
parasympathetic
Explosion)
, Gottheit
been identified by scientists. These include meditation, yoga, nervous system socialize [(sEUSElaIz] 
prayer to a loving deity (praying to a vengeful one induces derivative [di(rIvEtIv]  [)pÄrE)sImpE(TetIk]  ,  private Kontakte pflegen
, Derivat , parasympathisches
stress), feeling hopeful about the future, being in a loving re­ Nervensystem
strenuous [(strenjuEs] 
engage sth.  , anstrengend
lationship, helping others who are less fortunate, having a pet,
,  hier: etw. aktivieren rebound from sth.
laughing, engaging with nature and doing moderate exercise. sustainability
[ri(baUnd] 
fix , Lösung [sE)steInE(bIlEti] 
Strenuous exercise is less effective because it increases the re­ ,  von etw. zurückprallen;
, Nachaltigkeit; hier:
immersed: be ~ in sth.   hier: sich von etw. erholen
lease of derivatives of the cortisol stress hormone. Stressverträglichkeit
,  in etw. versunken sein; release 
It doesn’t matter which of the interventions are selected. hier: mit etw. beschäftigt vengeful 
, Freisetzung
What matters is doing them frequently. Regular short bursts are sein , rachsüchtig

12  Business Spotlight 2/2022 TRENDS

 “Anyone who thinks they are
‘really on’ when they’re stressed
is fooling themselves”
that increase our stress levels. It highlights the things that stress
us out the most but also the renewal activities that offer the
most support.

High performers
High achievers often say they thrive on stress. Boyatzis disputes
this. “You don’t need that much stress to show all the aspects of
cognitive, emotional and perceptual impairment that go with it.
Anyone who thinks they are ‘really on’ when they’re stressed is THREE SMALL FIXES TO TACKLE
fooling themselves,” he says. STRESS
To illustrate this, Boyatzis gives the example of a study into ●  Before going into a difficult situation or

vision. A normal visual field is roughly 180 degrees, but when potentially stressful meeting, pause and
focus momentarily on your breathing. Inhale
researchers administered adrenaline to a test group to induce for a count of three and exhale for six. Even
stress, their peripheral vision narrowed dramatically. Subse­ one or two breaths will help calm the mind.
quent research done on athletes showed that the impact of Start a journal, spending a few minutes
●  

stress on peripheral vision was even more significant in real life three or four times every week writing
down your thoughts and feelings. There is
than in the laboratory.
strong evidence for the positive impact of
Vanessa Dietzel and Laura Watkins, authors of the recently expressive writing on mental and physical
published book The Performance Curve (see box, p. 14), believe well-being.
that high performance doesn’t have to come at the expense of ●  Take a break in nature. Switch off by

personal well-being. Both women are familiar with the stress­ consciously listening to surrounding sounds
such as birdsong, water, the wind in the
es of high-pressure environments, having worked for leading trees or the sound of crisp leaves underfoot.
international consultancies McKinsey and Boston Consulting,
before starting their own in the world of leadership, coaching
and organizational development.
By watching clients become increasingly stressed by the com­
plexities of modern commerce, Dietzel and Watkins could see
Foto: LightFieldStudios/iStock.com; Illustration: Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock.com

that there was a huge trade-off between performance and per­

sonal well-being. As a consequence, many apparently highly suc­ administer sth. to sb.  exhausted [Ig(zO:stId]  perceptual
cessful individuals were exhausted and fundamentally dissatis­ ,  jmdm. etw. verabreichen ,  erschöpft, ausgebrannt [pE(septSuEl] 
fied with life, although they were usually reluctant to admit it. ,  die Wahrnehmung
adrenaline fix , Lösung
betreffend
Getting hard-nosed business people to accept that they are [E(drenElIn] 
hard-nosed ifml. 
,  [wg. Aussprache] reluctant: be ~ to do sth. 
heading for burnout is not easy. But Watkins has a weapon that’s ,  knallhart, abgebrüht
,  etw. nur ungern tun
hard to fight against — science. If clients won’t believe that being affect sth. 
highlight sth. 
,  etw. beeinträchtigen tackle sth. 
“constantly on” is bad for them, Watkins shows them brain scans ,  etw. hervorheben
,  etw. angehen,
apparently
to illustrate how chronic stress weakens the brain’s structure impairment  bekämpfen
[E(pÄrEntli] 
and functioning. “Having the brain conversation makes people , Beeinträchtigung
, scheinbar thrive on sth. 
aware of what’s happening when their brain is constantly in crisp , knusprig;
inhale [In(heI&l]  ,  hier etwa: bei etw. zur
, einatmen Hochform auflaufen 
fight-or-flight mode and how this can affect the quality of their hier: raschelnd
(thrive  , florieren)
decision-making,” she says. on: be ~  ,  hier: mit allen
exhale [eks(heI&l] 
Sinnen dabei sein, voll trade-off , Kompromiss;
Dietzel points out that effectiveness and well-being can , ausatmen
konzentriert sein hier: Wechselbeziehung
be synergistic: when combined, they are a powerful force for

TRENDS 2/2022 Business Spotlight 13 

 “Our modern world
increased performance. “If someone is functioning antidote [(ÄntidEUt] 
is too complex,
on red alert all of the time, then there is not enough
uncertain and
, Gegenmittel

time left over for recovery,” she says. “By contrast, bias [(baIEs] , Tendenz
when we increase our inner capacity to deal with

diverse — and
circuit [(s§:kIt] 
change, complexity and challenges, there is less strain , Schaltkreis
on the well-being of our brains and bodies.” constricted , angespannt

Calm breathing
The way we breathe is important, says Dietzel. “Sim­
conversely , umgekehrt
cope with sth. 
,  mit etw. klarkommen
so are we as
ply becoming aware of our breathing is also effec­
tive because it is such a strong connection between
the body and the mind. When our breathing is fast,
downsize sth. 
,  etw. verringern

exhalation [)ekshE(leIS&n] 
human beings”
shallow or constricted, this indicates our brain is in , Ausatmung

‘protect mode’. Breathing can be a bit like a remote feedback loop 

control for the brain. We can use the brain-body feed­
back loop to influence our thoughts and emotions.
Lengthening your exhalation — to make it twice as
long as your inhalation — can help our brains shift
from ‘protect mode’ to ‘explore mode’. It has a calm­
ing effect on our nervous system, helps process stress
and lowers our blood pressure and heart rate.”
But Dietzel adds that there is no silver-bullet solu­
tion for stress. “Our modern world is too complex,
uncertain and diverse — and so are we as human be­
ings,” she says. “The best way to initiate recovery is to
start small, for example writing down a few things we
are grateful for each day. This helps our brains to feel
more resourceful and content.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
●  The Performance Curve:
Maximize Your Potential at
Work while Strengthening OLIVE KEOGH is a
Your Well-being, Vanessa contributor to
Dietzel, Laura Watkins the Business,
(Bloomsbury Business) Technology and
●  The Personal Sustainability
,  Feedback-, Rück-
kopplungsschleife
heart rate 
,  Herzfrequenz, Puls
holistic , ganzheitlich BUILDING RESILIENCE
indicate sth. , ein Psychologist, academic and author Dr Rick Hanson is an
expert on how to overcome the brain’s natural negativity
Anzeichen für etw. sein
bias to achieve happiness, self-worth and inner peace.
inhalation [)InhE(leIS&n] 
In an ideal world, says Hanson, the human brain would
, Einatmung
remember the good things that happen and let go of the
mindset  bad. In reality, it’s the other way around. There is a good
,  Denkweise, Einstellung evolutionary reason for this — not getting eaten by a
predator, for example — but as a consequence, negative
predator [(predEtE] 
, Raubtier experiences tend to stick and good things do not. Shifting
the balance is the key to coping with stress and building
ratio [(reISiEU] 
,  Anteil, Verhältnis
resilience.
Margaret Forde is an organizational psychologist and
red alert: on ~ [E(l§:t]  holistic psychotherapist. She has spent the past 30 years
,  im Alarmzustand; guiding individuals and companies towards a more positive
hier: im Stressmodus mindset. “Over time, our brain, our mental outlook and our
release sth.  behaviour all change in response to what we continually
,  etw. freisetzen focus on,” she says. “A continual focus on fearful situations
remote control  wires the brain to be more sensitive to threats. The brain’s
, Fernbedienung alarm system becomes like a super highway flooding the
body with stress hormones. Conversely, when you focus
resilience [ri(zIliEns] 
on the good, you build circuits that release feel-good
,  Resilienz, Belastbarkeit
chemicals throughout the body. What I try to make people
resourceful [ri(zO:sf&l]  aware of is that you are the gatekeeper. You can control
, findig; hier: gegen Stress this process by what you give your attention to.”
gewappnet Forde is not suggesting being unrealistically positive.
savour sth. [(seIvE]  “We should accept our negative feelings but try to pay
,  etw. auskosten, (in vollen more attention to the good ones,” she says. “Increasing
Zügen) genießen the amount of attention we give to positive emotional
shallow , flach experiences downsizes the amount of attention we give to
the negative ones. Professor Barbara Fredrickson, a world
silver-bullet solution expert on positive emotion and its benefits for adaptability,
[(bUlIt] 
calls this process ‘increasing our positivity ratio’.”
, Patentlösung
Author and meditation teacher Jeff Warren calls it
sip , Schluck “letting the good stuff land”. Actively doing so is the
take a beat  non-stand. antidote to allowing our worries to take over our lives. “We
,  hier: kurz innehalten, need to wire positive experiences into our headspace and
in sich gehen that’s actually pretty easy,” Warren says. “We do this by
noticing the tiny things during the day that are nice and
wire sth. ,  etw. verdrah-
then we take an extra beat to savour them.” For Warren,
Foto: Fergal Phillips

Innovation pages ten; hier: programmieren

Index (PSI) can be accessed of The Irish nice things are simple pleasures such as silence and the
through Key Step Media at Times. Contact: first sip of good coffee in the morning.
www.keystepmedia.com/shop/ global@business-
psi spotlight.de

14  Business Spotlight 2/2022 TRENDS