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The key to overcoming stress is the so-called breakthrough principle, or relaxation at the peak of effort. This technique can be divided into four stages.
HBR: We all know that uncontrolled stress can be devastating. But is there a positive side to stress?
- Of course, but first let's define what stress is. Stress is a physiological response to any change, good or bad, that puts the body and brain into fight or flight mode. Positive stress, also called eustress, gives us energy and motivates us to fight and create. We see eustress in the best athletes, creators, and anyone with high achievement. Anyone who has an important contract or, for example, has successfully passed an annual job interview, will benefit from the benefits of eustress such as clarity of thought, concentration and creative intuition.
However, most people think of stress as a negative type. At work, negative stressors include the actions of customers, customers, bosses, colleagues, workers, combined with tight deadlines. At the Medical Institute “Spirit and Body”
We are faced with managers who are constantly nervous about the influence of China on the markets of their companies, economic conditions, world oil reserves, etc. problems, taxes, traffic congestion, as well as worried about the standard set of bad news that depress them and make them feel helpless: hurricanes, politics, kidnapping, wars, terrorist attacks, environmental degradation ... continue the list yourself.
HBR: Many companies offer stress management programs, from onsite yoga classes and massage to superbly equipped gyms and workshops. What's wrong here?
- If companies want to be competitive, then it is extremely important to do something to solve the problem of the strongest negative impact of stress at work, but often the programs they implement are half measures. The HR department once or twice a year can invite a lecturer or organize Tai Chi classes and strongly recommend them to attend, but only a couple of people will come, because they do not even have time to dine, where to spend an hour on an event that has nothing to do with work, and even relaxing! When the leadership and corporate culture in general explicitly encourages people to participate, they will not feel guilty or worry about being considered bum if they go there.
This state of affairs is unforgivable, especially considering the billions of dollars lost due to absenteeism, employee turnover, disability, insurance costs, workplace accidents, violence, workers' compensation, litigation costs, not to mention the costs of replacement of valuable employees who have left because of stress-related issues. Fortunately, each of us has the ability to overcome stress, and leaders who have learned to do it for themselves and taught their subordinates achieve incredible productivity and mobilize huge reserves, saving on these kinds of costs.
HBR: In what area of science did you conduct your research and what were the results?
- First of all, I would like to say that at the Medical Institute "Mind and Body" we have not discovered anything new. The American philosopher William James defined the "breakthrough principle" in his book Varieties of Religious Experience (1902). Our goal was to find a scientific basis for this principle discovered by James.
Over the past several decades, our experts have collected data from many areas of science: demography, physiological research, brain imaging, molecular biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and other ways to measure the body's response to stress. In these studies, we paid particular attention to the relaxation response and found out how effective it is. It is a physiological state of deep rest that counteracts the harmful effects of the fight-or-flight response, such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and muscle tension. From a neuroscience point of view, when faced with stress at work (a difficult colleague to communicate, tense negotiations, tight deadlines, or something more serious), we cope with it for a while, but then negative effects appear. If we are under the influence of the "fight or flight" reaction for a long time, the pressure rises significantly, and epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol are released into the blood. This leads to increased blood pressure and increased heart rate, increased brain activity. These symptoms, which appear for a long time, are very harmful to the body. However, by completely “letting go of the problem” at this stage with the help of certain limiters, the brain is rebuilt in such a way that the exchange of information between the hemispheres improves. After that, the brain's ability to solve problems increases significantly. manifested for a long time, are very harmful to the body. However, by completely “letting go of the problem” at this stage with the help of certain limiters, the brain is rebuilt so that the exchange of information between the hemispheres improves. After that, the brain ' s ability to solve problems increases significantly. manifested for a long time, are very harmful to the body. However, by completely “letting go of the problem” at this stage with the help of certain limiters, the brain is rebuilt in such a way that the exchange of information between the hemispheres improves. After that, the brain's ability to solve problems increases significantly.
To better understand this mechanism, let's go back about a hundred years and turn to the work of researchers at Harvard University Robert Yerkes and John Dodson. In 1908, they showed that under stress, productivity increases, but only up to a certain point. After that, it drops dramatically.
Yerkes - Dodson curve. Stress is an important response to a highly competitive environment. Before a race, an exam, an important meeting, your heart rate increases and your blood pressure rises at the same time. You become more focused, alert, and efficient. However, once it reaches a certain level, stress undermines your productivity, efficiency, and even health. Harvard researchers Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson first established the relationship between stress and productivity in 1908; later it received the name of the Yerkes-Dodson law.
We found that by raising stress levels to the highest point on the graph and then effectively reducing it by switching to calming, restorative activities, the participants elicited a relaxation response, and this successfully counteracted the negative effects of stress hormones. Molecular studies have shown that nitric oxide was released, which is involved in the production of neurotransmitters such as endorphins and dopamines. These chemicals enhance the overall feeling of wellness. As soon as the brain calms down, so-called restful arousal , or a focused increase in activity, occurs in the area responsible for attention, spatial-temporal orientation and decision-making.
During relaxation, people experienced a sudden creative insight that made the solution to a problem apparent. This is an instantaneous phenomenon. After that, the participants in the experiment showed sustained increased productivity. We called this the “new normal” state because it could last as long as we wanted.
This is a very mysterious phenomenon.
By bringing it to peak activity, and then suddenly moving into a calm, relaxed state, you can stimulate brain activity.
Over time, participants who learned to do this randomly showed consistently high performance. This is especially true for athletes and people in the art world, but it also happens among the entrepreneurs we work with.
HBR: How do you put the breakthrough principle into practice?
- The breakout technique contains four stages. The first stage is the application of tremendous efforts to solve the most difficult task. For a businessman, this is, for example, an in-depth analysis of a problem or collection of factual material, but it can also be just tense reflection on a stressful situation at work, which provokes a difficult employee to communicate, efficiency problems, difficulties in budgeting. The bottom line is to work for a while to solve the problem with all your strength. In essence, you need to fully immerse yourself in it to reach the peak of the Yerkes-Dodson curve.
As you approach the peak of the curve, you will surely feel that further efforts are not working and anxiety builds up. Unpleasant sensations of anxiety, fear, anger or boredom appear; you will feel that you are subconsciously tending to postpone work. Even physiological symptoms may appear, such as headache, heaviness in the stomach or sweating of the palms. This means it's time to move on to the second stage.
The second step is to take your mind off the problem and do something completely different that triggers a relaxation response. For example, a ten-minute relaxation exercise works great in which you calm your mind and focus on your breathing, taking your mind off your thoughts. Someone goes for a run or petting a cat; someone is looking at their favorite paintings. Someone is relaxing in the sauna or taking a hot shower. Someone tries to "sleep with the problem", taking a little nap or a good night's sleep, someone having dinner with friends or listening to their favorite music.
I know a top manager, a man, who relaxes while embroidering with a cross. This leads to a restructuring of thinking - the basis for new inspiration, solutions and creativity. The main thing is to stop analyzing, turn off self-control and completely disconnect from thoughts that provoke stress. When you allow your brain to calm down, your body releases nitric oxide to help you feel better and be more productive.
We watched how the manager was worried about the presentation that needed to be given to the management of the company. He worked tirelessly on it, but the further, the less he understood exactly how the presentation should look, and the more worried. Fortunately, he learned to relax by visiting an art museum near his office. There he went. Very soon he was already resting with his soul, contemplating his favorite paintings. And at that moment it dawned on him that he was trying to cover too many different topics at the same time, but he needed to dwell on one, backing it up with weighty examples. He felt a surge of inspiration and confidence that he finally knew the right answer. Back at the office, he rewrote the presentation and went home completely relaxed and happy.
It is the third stage - the sudden insight - that is the real breakthrough. A breakout is often referred to as a peak state experience, flow state, or zone transition . World-class athletes achieve this state by allowing muscle memory to work after the most strenuous training and subsequent relaxation. They are completely immersed in what they are doing, feeling automatism, clarity and no need to make an effort. In all cases, the breakthrough is felt to be a great feeling of well-being and relaxation, with which unexpected inspiration or high levels of productivity come. And all this is the result of a simple biological mechanism that we can trigger at will.
The last, fourth stage is a return to a new normal state, in which a feeling of confidence remains. The manager who revamped his presentation came to work the next morning confident that everything would be okay. The management meeting was a success and he received positive feedback from his boss and colleagues.
HBR: Is the breakthrough possible at any time or just sometimes? What percentage of people have experienced this insight?
- We still do not have unambiguous data on this issue, but experience shows that people from groups in which they were taught to induce a reaction of relaxation experience insight much more often compared to groups where such classes were not conducted. About 25% of the trainees, and sometimes even more, can confidently reach this state.
Sometimes it comes after a serious illness caused or aggravated by severe stress. One famous CEO we worked with worked over 60 hours a week in a stressful job for years. He came to us after he was diagnosed with an asymptomatic heart attack. His world has completely turned upside down. He took leave for health reasons to devote it to treatment, ask himself about the meaning of his existence and spend time with his family. We taught him to use the relaxation response and the breakout principle. He recovered and returned to work much more resilient and productive than before. […]
- Take on a difficult task and work hard until you feel you have reached your maximum potential.
- Take a break. Do something else, take a deep breath while focusing on a soothing phrase, take a nap, or take a hot shower.
- Relax. This is the breakthrough moment when you feel the influx of creative ideas and solutions.
- Return to your old self-confidence, but on a new level.
HBR: We all know that uncontrolled stress can be devastating. But is there a positive side to stress?
- Of course, but first let's define what stress is. Stress is a physiological response to any change, good or bad, that puts the body and brain into fight or flight mode. Positive stress, also called eustress, gives us energy and motivates us to fight and create. We see eustress in the best athletes, creators, and anyone with high achievement. Anyone who has an important contract or, for example, has successfully passed an annual job interview, will benefit from the benefits of eustress such as clarity of thought, concentration and creative intuition.
However, most people think of stress as a negative type. At work, negative stressors include the actions of customers, customers, bosses, colleagues, workers, combined with tight deadlines. At the Medical Institute “Spirit and Body”
We are faced with managers who are constantly nervous about the influence of China on the markets of their companies, economic conditions, world oil reserves, etc. problems, taxes, traffic congestion, as well as worried about the standard set of bad news that depress them and make them feel helpless: hurricanes, politics, kidnapping, wars, terrorist attacks, environmental degradation ... continue the list yourself.HBR: Many companies offer stress management programs, from onsite yoga classes and massage to superbly equipped gyms and workshops. What's wrong here?
- If companies want to be competitive, then it is extremely important to do something to solve the problem of the strongest negative impact of stress at work, but often the programs they implement are half measures. The HR department once or twice a year can invite a lecturer or organize Tai Chi classes and strongly recommend them to attend, but only a couple of people will come, because they do not even have time to dine, where to spend an hour on an event that has nothing to do with work, and even relaxing! When the leadership and corporate culture in general explicitly encourages people to participate, they will not feel guilty or worry about being considered bum if they go there.
This state of affairs is unforgivable, especially considering the billions of dollars lost due to absenteeism, employee turnover, disability, insurance costs, workplace accidents, violence, workers' compensation, litigation costs, not to mention the costs of replacement of valuable employees who have left because of stress-related issues. Fortunately, each of us has the ability to overcome stress, and leaders who have learned to do it for themselves and taught their subordinates achieve incredible productivity and mobilize huge reserves, saving on these kinds of costs.
HBR: In what area of science did you conduct your research and what were the results?
- First of all, I would like to say that at the Medical Institute "Mind and Body" we have not discovered anything new. The American philosopher William James defined the "breakthrough principle" in his book Varieties of Religious Experience (1902). Our goal was to find a scientific basis for this principle discovered by James.
Over the past several decades, our experts have collected data from many areas of science: demography, physiological research, brain imaging, molecular biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and other ways to measure the body's response to stress. In these studies, we paid particular attention to the relaxation response and found out how effective it is. It is a physiological state of deep rest that counteracts the harmful effects of the fight-or-flight response, such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and muscle tension. From a neuroscience point of view, when faced with stress at work (a difficult colleague to communicate, tense negotiations, tight deadlines, or something more serious), we cope with it for a while, but then negative effects appear. If we are under the influence of the "fight or flight" reaction for a long time, the pressure rises significantly, and epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol are released into the blood. This leads to increased blood pressure and increased heart rate, increased brain activity. These symptoms, which appear for a long time, are very harmful to the body. However, by completely “letting go of the problem” at this stage with the help of certain limiters, the brain is rebuilt in such a way that the exchange of information between the hemispheres improves. After that, the brain's ability to solve problems increases significantly. manifested for a long time, are very harmful to the body. However, by completely “letting go of the problem” at this stage with the help of certain limiters, the brain is rebuilt so that the exchange of information between the hemispheres improves. After that, the brain ' s ability to solve problems increases significantly. manifested for a long time, are very harmful to the body. However, by completely “letting go of the problem” at this stage with the help of certain limiters, the brain is rebuilt in such a way that the exchange of information between the hemispheres improves. After that, the brain's ability to solve problems increases significantly.
To better understand this mechanism, let's go back about a hundred years and turn to the work of researchers at Harvard University Robert Yerkes and John Dodson. In 1908, they showed that under stress, productivity increases, but only up to a certain point. After that, it drops dramatically.
Yerkes - Dodson curve. Stress is an important response to a highly competitive environment. Before a race, an exam, an important meeting, your heart rate increases and your blood pressure rises at the same time. You become more focused, alert, and efficient. However, once it reaches a certain level, stress undermines your productivity, efficiency, and even health. Harvard researchers Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson first established the relationship between stress and productivity in 1908; later it received the name of the Yerkes-Dodson law.
We found that by raising stress levels to the highest point on the graph and then effectively reducing it by switching to calming, restorative activities, the participants elicited a relaxation response, and this successfully counteracted the negative effects of stress hormones. Molecular studies have shown that nitric oxide was released, which is involved in the production of neurotransmitters such as endorphins and dopamines. These chemicals enhance the overall feeling of wellness. As soon as the brain calms down, so-called restful arousal , or a focused increase in activity, occurs in the area responsible for attention, spatial-temporal orientation and decision-making.
During relaxation, people experienced a sudden creative insight that made the solution to a problem apparent. This is an instantaneous phenomenon. After that, the participants in the experiment showed sustained increased productivity. We called this the “new normal” state because it could last as long as we wanted.
This is a very mysterious phenomenon.
By bringing it to peak activity, and then suddenly moving into a calm, relaxed state, you can stimulate brain activity.
Over time, participants who learned to do this randomly showed consistently high performance. This is especially true for athletes and people in the art world, but it also happens among the entrepreneurs we work with.
HBR: How do you put the breakthrough principle into practice?
- The breakout technique contains four stages. The first stage is the application of tremendous efforts to solve the most difficult task. For a businessman, this is, for example, an in-depth analysis of a problem or collection of factual material, but it can also be just tense reflection on a stressful situation at work, which provokes a difficult employee to communicate, efficiency problems, difficulties in budgeting. The bottom line is to work for a while to solve the problem with all your strength. In essence, you need to fully immerse yourself in it to reach the peak of the Yerkes-Dodson curve.
As you approach the peak of the curve, you will surely feel that further efforts are not working and anxiety builds up. Unpleasant sensations of anxiety, fear, anger or boredom appear; you will feel that you are subconsciously tending to postpone work. Even physiological symptoms may appear, such as headache, heaviness in the stomach or sweating of the palms. This means it's time to move on to the second stage.
The second step is to take your mind off the problem and do something completely different that triggers a relaxation response. For example, a ten-minute relaxation exercise works great in which you calm your mind and focus on your breathing, taking your mind off your thoughts. Someone goes for a run or petting a cat; someone is looking at their favorite paintings. Someone is relaxing in the sauna or taking a hot shower. Someone tries to "sleep with the problem", taking a little nap or a good night's sleep, someone having dinner with friends or listening to their favorite music.
I know a top manager, a man, who relaxes while embroidering with a cross. This leads to a restructuring of thinking - the basis for new inspiration, solutions and creativity. The main thing is to stop analyzing, turn off self-control and completely disconnect from thoughts that provoke stress. When you allow your brain to calm down, your body releases nitric oxide to help you feel better and be more productive.
We watched how the manager was worried about the presentation that needed to be given to the management of the company. He worked tirelessly on it, but the further, the less he understood exactly how the presentation should look, and the more worried. Fortunately, he learned to relax by visiting an art museum near his office. There he went. Very soon he was already resting with his soul, contemplating his favorite paintings. And at that moment it dawned on him that he was trying to cover too many different topics at the same time, but he needed to dwell on one, backing it up with weighty examples. He felt a surge of inspiration and confidence that he finally knew the right answer. Back at the office, he rewrote the presentation and went home completely relaxed and happy.
It is the third stage - the sudden insight - that is the real breakthrough. A breakout is often referred to as a peak state experience, flow state, or zone transition . World-class athletes achieve this state by allowing muscle memory to work after the most strenuous training and subsequent relaxation. They are completely immersed in what they are doing, feeling automatism, clarity and no need to make an effort. In all cases, the breakthrough is felt to be a great feeling of well-being and relaxation, with which unexpected inspiration or high levels of productivity come. And all this is the result of a simple biological mechanism that we can trigger at will.
The last, fourth stage is a return to a new normal state, in which a feeling of confidence remains. The manager who revamped his presentation came to work the next morning confident that everything would be okay. The management meeting was a success and he received positive feedback from his boss and colleagues.
HBR: Is the breakthrough possible at any time or just sometimes? What percentage of people have experienced this insight?
- We still do not have unambiguous data on this issue, but experience shows that people from groups in which they were taught to induce a reaction of relaxation experience insight much more often compared to groups where such classes were not conducted. About 25% of the trainees, and sometimes even more, can confidently reach this state.
Sometimes it comes after a serious illness caused or aggravated by severe stress. One famous CEO we worked with worked over 60 hours a week in a stressful job for years. He came to us after he was diagnosed with an asymptomatic heart attack. His world has completely turned upside down. He took leave for health reasons to devote it to treatment, ask himself about the meaning of his existence and spend time with his family. We taught him to use the relaxation response and the breakout principle. He recovered and returned to work much more resilient and productive than before. […]
Get enough sleep! From a half-hour lack of sleep, productivity drops by a third.