Stress

The figures are alarming. The constantly changing world of work, time pressure and the ever-increasing demands placed on us are sources of stress and being overwhelmed. Two-thirds of the working population in Switzerland report stress or time pressure. Where does this lead? The economic costs Switzerland incurs each year because of stress are already estimated at more than four billion Swiss francs annually. Stress once had a certain cachet among managers. Back then, only those who suffered from stress every day seemed to be successful. Being under constant high pressure was less a burden than a status symbol. Today, unfortunately, that status symbol has become a widespread illness.

Positive stress
helps boost a person's self-esteem, abilities and talents, and supports personality development. There are also activities in which good performance is encouraged by a certain amount of stress. Sport is one example. Studies show that athletes who weren't nervous at all performed worse than those whose stress levels were at a medium level.

Too little stress can be just as harmful as too much
The symptoms that lead to stress are varied. Whether at work or in private life, the pitfalls of slipping into a chronic negative spiral are more varied than ever these days. But anyone who thinks stress always has a negative effect is mistaken. Stress can also have positive effects and be necessary for the development of a person's character. But, as with many things in life, it is also a question of degree, amount and quality, at certain times and under certain circumstances.

In other words: too little stress can be just as harmful as too much. For example, two or three tough working weeks are less draining than prolonged bullying by colleagues, or losing your job followed by unemployment. Constant stress at a medium or even low level is more harmful than a short spell of extreme stress lasting a few days.

The father of stress research
As early as the 1930s, the Austrian-Canadian physician Hans Selye distinguished between harmful, negative stress, which he called "distress", and positive, vital stress, which he called "eustress". For many people, even the general term "stress" already has a negative meaning; they equate distress with stress. The fact that there is also a positive form of stress, known as eustress, is very often met with surprise. Eustress can awaken energy that helps us meet the demands of work, family and society. With distress, however, this is simply not the case: when pressure, expectations and strain become too great, the body, its organs, and the mind and soul react with disorders.

Recovery as a miracle cure
Even if you would rather not notice it in certain life situations, you have to accept that the human body ticks within a biological time frame with two different types of stress. We are indeed made to perform under great tension for a certain period of time. If you push yourself too hard for too long, there is a great risk of burning out without recovery. This is what the term "burnout" stands for.

Common stress factors

• chronic conflicts in a relationship
• lack of time, deadline pressure
• lack of money, poverty, debt, over-indebtedness
• lack of scope to shape your own life, lack of interest in work and leisure
• great responsibility
• bullying at work/at school
• shift work
• constantly focusing on work
• fear of not being good enough (fear of failure)
• perfectionism (excessive demands on yourself and others)
• social isolation, contempt and neglect
• sleep deprivation
• sensory overload, noise
• illness and pain, your own and that of family members
• emotional problems, underlying conflicts
• serious events (burglary, surgery, exams)
• also (unresolvable) under-stimulation, boredom and lethargy
• being overwhelmed by new technological developments (technostress)

Sources: Luzia Kunz (COACH Magazin)