A recent article shared by the Heart Math Institute stated: “National Geographic Magazine’s June 2024 lead article* reports that the perceived level of psychological stress has risen dramatically across the globe due to a combination of factors: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, environmental disasters, economic uncertainty, the escalation of political instability across nations, constant news about gun violence, terrorism, wars, and other threats”.
The article goes on to say, “the consequences of this broad scale increase in stress are only beginning to be appreciated, but the evidence suggests that we are facing a second pandemic of mood and anxiety disorders, including major depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In a recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (2023), one third of respondents reported they “feel completely stressed out no matter what they do to manage their stress.” Over time, stress accumulation causes nervous system dysregulation, which leads to mental and physical health problems and disease.
Many people think of stress as a worn-out topic because it is so widespread, and the standard stress solutions don’t seem to be working. When people feel they have less control over their lives or their future, the stress can take a toll on their mental, emotional, and physical health. Some types of stress may seem so “normal” that we don’t recognise them as stress until they’re harming our health, such as a toxic work environment or conflicts at home”.
Just yesterday I was speaking to a high profile leader in a local government organisation who commented on the high levels of personal stress and busyness in the workplace. I shared that I remain confounded by the complete lack of societal (including government and support agency) verbalisation of the global trauma impacts of COVID. The world has not gone back to normal, and leaders are seeing the symptoms without considering the causes. The fact is that our new normal is a more stressed out leader, a more stressed out follower and a more stressed out society.
As leaders we have a unique challenge ahead of us in this new normal. I believe the only we can thrive as individuals and as leaders is to lead with more heart awareness. Increasing our care and compassion for others helps us to reconnect with our heart and feelings of hope. With hope comes greater emotional stability and resilience to “weather the storms” in our own lives and on our leadership journey. If you would like to explore techniques in enhance heart based leadership please contact Elizabeth at elizabethdenniss@bigpond.com or call 0456728961.