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I miss my Rolodex: Resilience in the face of stress and change
Camillo Zacchia, Ph.D. Psychologist
April 27, 2016
On the agenda
• What is stress?
• When and why does it cause burnout?
• How can we best adapt to change?
• How can we build self-confidence?
What is stress?
• Stress is any form of challenge to the
person
• It can be felt as anxiety when acute or as
general tension when diffuse and chronic
• When is something stressful?
• Novelty
• Unpredictability
• Threat to the ego
• Sense of control is lost
Number of
responsibilities (i.e., challenges)
÷ How we handle
them (i.e., mastery over
challenges)
=
Stress
Stress
A stressor by any other name…
• No two people react the same way to a
similar stressor
• The stress response is an interaction
between the challenge itself and the
individual’s perception of his or her ability
to respond to it.
In other words…
• Stress increases when our
challenges increase (or when we
perceive them that way)
• Stress diminishes when we have
the tools or the means to respond
to them (or when we think we do)
Are you feeling burnt out?
• What is burnout?
• Loss of function at work (or in life???):
• Anxiety
• Frustration
• Sense of futility
• Agitation
• Fatigue
• Frustration
• Impatience
• Pessimism
• Loss of productivity, etc…
What causes burnout?
• We expect too much of ourselves (internally-
generated pressures)
• Others expect too much of us (externally-
generated pressures)
• It’s never good enough
• Impostor syndrome
• We don’t have what it takes
Internal pressures
Impostor syndrome
(poor self-esteem)
Missing skills
(poor fit)
Perfectionism
(it’s never good
enough)
External pressures
Number of
responsibilities ÷ How we
handle them = Stress
Externally-generated
pressures
Internally-generated
pressures
Lack of necessary
skills Lack of support
Inability to say
no
Inability to
recognize one’s
limits
Lack of confidence Perfectionism
(high standards)
When is a stressor not a stressor?: Core beliefs (schemas) and you
• Small Italian coffee
• Do you remember my
name?
• Two questions
The ABCs of cognitive
restructuring
• A = Activating event
• B = Belief
• C = Consequence
Take a step back and examine your beliefs
and assumptions
Where’s my Rolodex? Why change scares us
• Familiar is comfortable: We feel we have
control
• Change does not come with a guarantee
of success
• We may not have the right tools since an
unforeseen challenge requires unforeseen
skills
Controling our sense of control
• If I want to prevent bad things from
happening I must know a) what they are
and b) how to handle them.
• If I can control myself, other people, and
all the circumstances, then all will be good!
• If not…then I’m screwed…
Managing doubt: Batman’s belt
• Into the forest
– A bear
– A snake
– I could get lost
– Spiders
• I could control each worrisome stressor as
long as I know what it is and I have a tool to
overcome it…
• But how do I handle the remaining doubt?
• Two ultimate tools
The forest and the average Joe
• Novelty: New co-workers, lots of new challenges and tasks…
• Unpredictability: Government decrees, unexpected restructuring, plagues of locusts….
• Threat to the ego: Eaten by lions…or the boss…or the mortgage…
• Sense of control is lost: Bureaucracy, sickness and staffing problems, rigid salary structure…
Self-confidence: How the hell did I get here?
• Overcoming stress:
– Is it really completely novel? Are there similarities to
past changes?
– …and so unpredictable? Have you seen a pattern in
the past? Did things turn out OK in the end?
– Are the consequences of a slow learning
curve so threatening? Aren’t you all in the same boat?
How did you and others adapt to change in the past?
– What means of control exist? Support from
colleagues, mentors, managers…
How do we build confidence?
• Confidence and competence
• Colour blindness
• Six math problems
• A new planet: your skills are in you
• Two step process
This sucks! What are my
options?
• Step one: change it
• Step two: accept it
• Step three: reject it
Whatever you do, choose one.
Some random thoughts
• Job security: A double-edged sword
• Viruses can spread and infect an entire department: Don’t
tolerate the intolerable
• Not all change is good but it isn’t all bad either
• Nay sayers vs critical thinkers: Don’t lump them together:
– Nay sayers: bad for morale and productivity
– Critical thinkers: good for everyone
• Hey, employees, are bosses really that stupid?
• Hey, bosses, are employees really that stupid?
I invite your comments: www.blog.douglas.qc.ca/psychospeak
www.huffingtonpost.ca/camillo-zacchia-phd/
Questions: [email protected]
Website: www.drzacchia.com
Twitter: @camillozacchia