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)

Additional causes of burnout

• Your boss is a jerk!

• You are the jerk!

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: camillo.zacchia@douglas.mcgill.ca

Website: www.drzacchia.com

Twitter: @camillozacchia