STRESS has become an important area of study especially after the pandemic lockdown raised the number of employees undergoing this psychological affliction. Can this unstable mental state be used as a tool for evaluating an organization’s resilience under different types of challenges?
The original “stress test” referred to a medical procedure. This evaluation deals with a patient’s heart condition. It is an integral part of a medical check-up that the conscientious executive is required to undergo, especially after he turns 50 and the body starts showing signs of aging, like panting heavily when seated — without the sight of a pant-worthy object.
The stress test uses a treadmill and requires the patient to bring a towel and wear shorts and rubber shoes for the session. This is the same machine one finds in fitness centers in front of a TV monitor which may feature a highway or forest path. The gym rat is more relaxed and may even be stepping up with music on his earplugs.
Before he steps on the treadmill, the patient’s bare chest is attached with suction cups wired to a monitoring machine to track heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure as he walks at different speeds, and sometimes an increasing angle, on the treadmill. The doctor puts his patient at ease by asking him soothing questions (Do you have confidential funds you keep from your wife?) mainly to check if he is still capable of speech or breathing as the speed and angle of the treadmill is raised. The numbers go into the chart to determine the patient’s fitness.
The stress test technique can be applied to the economy. Certain scenarios like varying inflation rates which are food-driven, debt levels, GDP growth forecasts are thrown into the stew to see what happens to the economy. Worst case scenarios, like debt delinquencies, may be modified to ensure continued survival under severe stress.
Can we apply the stress test to our lives?
Stress arises from uncertainty regarding the future. (Will I still have my cushy job after the end of the year?) If we use the stress test approach, it is best to look at scenarios while we are enjoying some stability and bliss. The “what if” approach leads only to raising the levels of stress.
Here are some triggers for worries leading to stressful reactions.
When we send out an SMS for lunch and get no reply, should we panic? Are we being ghosted? Does silence mean rejection? Uncertainty of meaning can be stressful. It’s best to wait and see what happens — I was just tending to the orchids, Dear.
What about the little surprises of life? These can range from a flat tire during heavy traffic with motorcycles buzzing around your stationary vehicle or some unexpected medical need requiring a huge amount of money you don’t have. The appeal for financial assistance from colleagues and friends can be mortifying, but necessary. Passing the hat has become too common among Viber groups and organizations. It passes the stress around to family and friends, including those who decide to pass.
Even those involved in wealth management whose minimum portfolio may start at P25 million routinely ask their new clients about their “risk appetite.” This has nothing to do with cuisine and favorite dishes. The appetite involved in this stress test is to gauge the client’s openness to a higher yield that comes with the risk of losing a part of the principal. Is the client “risk averse” and content with fixed income bonds of triple A companies? Or is he willing to get into virtual currency and NFTs (little pictures that can be traded)?
At work, the causes of stress are more jejune.
There’s no need to build scenarios to test the tolerance for pain and anxiety. The daily grind of losing pitches for new business, inability to collect from clients for services rendered, and the turnover of key executives are almost part of “business as usual.” There is always the exit door to alleviate stress. Of course, this can lead to more uncertainty like the possibility of family vacations lasting indefinitely.
It is best to heed the philosophy of the stoics, like Marcus Aurelius — we cannot control what happens to us, only how we react to them. It’s best to live for today… and postpone the stress for tomorrow.
Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda