The tiger in the workplace: When our brain does exactly what it’s supposed to in stressful situations

The most consistently stressed out I’ve ever been at a job was also when I was the worst at my job.

Once upon a time I had a job where I was constantly in a state of stress. I was a mid level manager where I supported my own team while reporting directly to the CEO. From the start, it was clear that the company was in a constant state of distress whether that was having many long drawn out meetings that went nowhere with arguments sprinkled throughout, unclear role responsibilities and decision making power, or working incredibly long and stressful days.

As an experienced leader at this point, the structure of the organization and how we did the work was confusing and when I tried to talk to my boss about it, we would have a long processing meeting that went absolutely nowhere and I left feeling disempowered about my ability to do my own job and more confused than before.

The arguing and attacking of each other in meetings or through mass email threads only got worse. As I continued to slip into the organizational culture I found myself getting frustrated and publicly (and aggressively) raising concerns in team emails or meetings.

Which is not AT ALL how to voice concerns or feedback.

But here’s the thing, when you’re constantly stressed out you become much more reactive and fail to do your job well or solve problems creatively.

Let me explain the science behind it.

Our nervous system is a series of nerves throughout the body that take in information to send to our brain for interpretation. It is basically how we understand and operate in the world and a really useful tool for telling us when we are in danger.

Back in the day (like a couple thousand years ago) we relied heavily on the nervous system for survival. Say you were out hunting for your next meal when all of a sudden you see a tiger. Your nervous system is immediately going to go into survival mode to prepare your body to fight or flee. Your heart rate will increase and cortisol, a stress hormone, will flood into your body to give you the extra energy needed to survive. All nonessential systems, like the immune and digestive systems, will power down in order to send all energy into the current moment. All of your mental power will go into this exact moment and you will be operating on a more primal level instead of using your cognitive and higher level thinking processes. You will be READY to save yourself.

Unfortunately, this same process happens whenever we find ourselves in a stressful situation as your body simply doesn’t know the difference between facing a tiger and facing your boss. Every time we find ourselves in a stressful situation, the reaction is the same. In small amounts or every once in a while this increase of cortisol and focused nervous system response can be helpful for the situation at hand. But when we are always in a stressful environment and unable to regulate back to a baseline of calm, it can affect your health and ability to problem solve, learn, and find enjoyment in life.

Environment plays such a huge role in our ability to thrive. For example, is a flower going to grow and blossom when it’s drowned in sewage water or given fresh and clean water?

That’s you in your environment. Stress creates a toxic sewage water environment for our bodies. It affects your ability to be creative, problem solve, learn, process information, sleep, and can even impact health and pain in your body.

This is why a culture of wellbeing is crucial to the success of your organization. If you’re constantly in fight or flight mode you simply won’t be able to do your best work. Of course a smaller level of stress is normal and it’s actually good for us to promote growth and resiliency. I’m talking about the everyday dread of existence that comes from a moderate to high consistent level of stress.

If all your nonessential systems shut down when you’re in a constant state of stress, how are you going to be able solve complex problems? How are you going to be able to communicate effectively without snapping at your employees or coworkers? If you’re constantly stressed about the situation at hand, how are you going to be able to see the bigger picture and focus on the long-term goals of your organization?

It just won’t be possible.

So how can you take your organization from one that’s in survival mode to one that can thrive?

I’ve got you!

Click the Work With Me link and learn about all the ways I can help advance your organization to move from a constant state of stress and reactivity to strategic growth and productivity while unlocking your fullest potential!