Stress is often ugly and emotional, but did you know it was also contagious?

By Brian Maynor

 

Most of us know stress is not a good look, but did you know that kids aren’t the only ones susceptible to catching things as they return to school? As adults we can actually be catching stress from others in our office.

Thanks to mirror neurons in our brains, the same things that make us yawn when we see someone else do it, we can always pick up stress from others. This is called ‘secondhand stress’ and recently studied by researchers at Howard Friedman and Ronald Riggio at the University of California, Riverside.

But there is good news. After working with students, executives, Navy SEALs and professional athletes experts Alia Crum and Thomas Crum have discovered a three-step program that proves stress can be a good thing, if you know how to use it. Here’s what you need to know to bolster your immunity to secondhand stress, but capitalize on it when you catch it:

1.    Building your natural immunity. The best way to handle secondhand stress is to avoid it and that means protecting yourself from it. The easiest ways to do this are to create positive behaviors that neutralize the stress around us. For example: return a coworkers grimace with a smile or nod of understanding. You can also build your own self-esteem, which makes you feel empowered to handle any challenges that come your way. Another technique is to inoculate yourself with positive psychological habits like meditation, journaling, or exercising.

2.    If you find you’ve caught someone else’s stress, it’s okay. Here are the three steps you need to follow to turn it into a good thing, not a negative one:

a.  Recognize it. Often times when we’re stressed we go on autopilot and just react to it. If you want to change your response to stress first you need to acknowledge it, either to yourself or out loud. By identifying that you’re stressed about something actually moves it from the emotional, reactionary part of our brain to the conscious, deliberate thinking area.

b.  Own it. Let’s be honest, if we didn’t truly care about something we wouldn’t stress over it right? So by acknowledging that something is stressing you out means you are invested in the outcome and with that acknowledgement you unleash positive motivation to tough out the hard parts to reach the end result.

c.  Use it. Contrary to all the reports and studies showing stress is a killer, the original design for stress was to push us to evolve and boost our minds and bodies to perform better. The physiological effects of stress can actually make us stronger and healthier. It’s the response to stress that can be detrimental. Just like star athletes and performers, by looking at pre-show or pre-game stress as excitement rather than anxiety you can actually improve your performance.

 

Stress doesn’t have to be ugly, emotional or a killer. Whether it’s your own stress or someone else’s you caught, turn it into something useful. Like a star athlete, performer or Navy SEAL harness the power of stress to make yourself better.

 

 

Click here or on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

 

 

 

Click here or on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

 

 

 

I am always curious to hear from you and what you see in the workplace. Send your questions, comments and pet peeves to [email protected]. Also find each of these storyboards at http://brianmaynor.polyvore.com with links to purchase each item.

 

About Brian Maynor

Brian Maynor has built a reputation as one of the leading style coaches in the Southeast and is quickly expanding his eponymous company, BRIAN MAYNOR and his FIND, FLATTER & FLAUNT line of image consulting services. A professional with a fresh, upbeat and down-to-earth personality and boundless creative energy, he works frequently with with local celebrities; Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations; modeling agencies; fashion designers; production companies; record labels; media and individuals. A regular contributor to various fashion blogs and online communities, Brian Maynor is one of the most trusted and recognized style experts in the region, utilizing his education and training as a broadcast journalist to serve as a style lecturer, emcee, and commentator for over a decade. He has appeared at fashion shows, expos, and charity fundraisers, as well as events with big brands like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s and Macy’s. His approach is innovative, creative and fashion-forward, balancing fresh, modern styles with classic pieces to keep one’s look grounded. To learn more, visit http://www.brianmaynor.com.

 

.

.