What is stress, what causes it and how can you use it to your advantage?

In a recent interview with Nomsa Mdhluli of SAfm, The Stress Code author Richard Sutton answered this question and more.

Stress is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Sutton says that the current focus of stress management is on how to avoid it, but in a world where stress is inevitable, ‘avoidance is setting us up for failure’.

‘Stress is a part of our daily lives,’ Sutton says. ‘Sometimes it can energise us. At other times it can drain us completely and eventually lead to burnout.’ Sutton’s approach therefore is one of resilience, not avoidance.

In the podcast, the author unpacks three types of stress and the impact it can have on our biology:

1. Eustress – good stress that we need to push our boundaries and perform.
2. Acute stress – which can cause anxiety over time.
3. Chronic stress – when stress becomes damaging and exhausting, and causes wear and tear on our bodies.

Sutton says there are four factors that contribute to stress:

1. Lack of control
2. Lack of support
3. An effort-reward imbalance
4. Lack of fairness and justice

The first step to understanding and managing stress is to reframe how you think about it. ‘See stress as the advantage,’ he says.

• Read 5 tips to manage stress from The Stress Code here.

Listen to the interview:

Categories Non-fiction South Africa

Tags Interviews Nomsa Mdhluli Pan Macmillan SA Podcast Richard Sutton SAfm The Stress Code