Micro-Stresses at Work
How to Identify and Act on Them
We are all aware of plenty of macro-stresses in our current environment: COVID, our national reckoning with racism, the financial crisis, children not going back to in-person school, as examples. The authors of the recent HBR article
Don't Let Micro-Stresses Burn You Out
describe another type of stress, "micro-stresses," that may be equally depleting to our reserves, but less obvious. What I like about naming these micro-stresses in our lives is that, once identified, acting on them may feel more easily under our own control. The potential for impact on our well-being is great.
Authors Rob Cross, Jean Singer and Karen Dillon
describe,
"Stress patterns are often predictable, and if we see them for what they are, we can build the support network, mindset, and constructive responses that we need to head them off."
The article describes research about how chronic micro-stresses at work lead to burn-out in 3 specific ways:
- Drain your personal capacity (the time and energy you have available to handle life’s demands)
- Deplete your emotional reserves
- Challenge your identity and values
The authors describe specific approaches and tools to counter these including:
- Isolate and act on 2-3 micro-stressors
- Invest in relationships and activities that keep less consequential micro-stresses in perspective
- Distance or disconnect from stress creating people or activities
Read more details on how you can identify specific micro-stresses and take some steps to minimize their impact on you in this
article
.
