“Stress makes us stupid”

5 steps to tackle stress

If  psychologist Dr Daniel Goldman’s words  “stress makes us stupid”are true, it’s no wonder we find it difficult to make simple decisions, let alone tackle larger dilemmas when we are feeling stressed.

I wonder how many of us have felt overwhelmed and stressed at work and tried to carry on without a break? As we stare at the screen in front of us, it becomes impossible to focus.  Our eyes might be able to, but making our mind focus on what we’re reading becomes increasingly difficult.  Colleagues might ask us questions, and instead of being able to respond, these questions just irritate and stress us further.  Simple tasks such as booking meetings in the diary become almost insurmountable and cause a feeling of panic and anxiety to well up inside. If we’re actually required to make more major decisions affecting the business, we just see red.  Attention span is substantially reduced and work takes longer to complete. This doesn’t just show at work, but spreads into our home life, where we become snappy, angry or distant. Read more