This and That: Sunday Inspiration

Don't underestimate the physiological toxic effects of chronic stress! I became inspired for this newsletter Sunday morning, when I came across a LinkedIn repost by someone who is dear to me (thanks for the share Wendy Mackey Jones .

The original post came from Brian Lillie and addressed recent data by Deloitte on the [nuanced] challenges women face in the workplace. The numbers are staggering. [brackets are mine for additional emphasis, since I feel much of what he mentions isn't so nuanced but sometime blatant]

This follows on a post earlier this month that I believe went viral, and stirred up quite a controversy. The post asked the question of women 'who would you rather meet in the forest, a bear or a random man'. 67% of the 1094 who voted stated they'd rather meet a bear. Read her post to find out why, though I think many of you know instinctively why.

In her post on this topic, Harriet Waley-Cohen asked some serious questions like: Are the majority of men still unaware or dismissive of women's safety concerns and how it affects women's behaviour and choices? What needs to change here?

I'm going to be 70 this year. As I read her post, I asked myself the question, 'has this ever happened to me'? Several instances came rushing back of times I'd been sexually intimidated by men and, I dare say, by my own naivety. I'll share just one here.

After working an evening shift in our Canadian Armed Forces, National Defense Medical Center ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in Ottawa (the Center doesn't exist any longer), I arrived home exhausted. It was after midnight and I even contemplated sleeping for a couple of hours in my car, in the apartment parking lot.

I was so tired, but also cold, so step out I did. I was dressed in full military officer gear (not our nursing uniform), and I let a man who appeared behind me at the door, into the apartment complex (in my mind, I wanted to tell him to use his own key but thought, I'm too tired for the argument). He followed me into the elevator, and proceeded to drop his pants and pull out his penis. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that I was so tired, leaning against the wall of the lift, I just looked at him, then at his penis and with a finger pointing at said appendage, told him 'I've seen better than that on an 80 year old' (I'm sorry to offend any 80 year old readers but this was my 24 year old self speaking). Luckily, he was so drunk he stumbled out on the 2nd floor and I rode safely to my 15th floor apartment, heart pounding by this time. I did call the police and then my parents. My father quickly provided me with an electric cow-prod, in case I ran into problems again. I kept it under the driver's seat of my car. I was cautious and watchful from that moment onwards, when coming home late at night.

Another source of inspiration came at about noon on Sunday, when I started into an online course I'd signed up for entitled 'The Neuroscience of Thriving'. I've long understood that our cognitive functioning is impaired by stress, both acute and chronic. I think I can safely say that we've all experienced this at some time or another.

I was also aware of what researchers call the neuroplasticity of the brain - the brains life-long ability to create new neurons, neural connections and pathways. We can, with a healthy brain, learn and develop until the day we die. We can also change habits and create new ones due to this ability.

What I wasn't aware of, is how our brains ability to create new neurons (neurogenesis) is compromised by chronic stress. Excess residual cortisol has toxic effects on this important ability of our brain.

This makes it even more imperative to ensure that we regularly indulge in activities that provide a 'cortisol cleanse'. Exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, playfulness, supportive relationships, and sleep are essential to good brain health.

By implementing these aspects of a cortisol cleanse we can increase our neuron generation by 500% from a baseline of circa 700 new neurons per day to circa 3500 per day.

As I shared in a post earlier this month, the WHO defines work-related stress as “t???? ???????????????? ???????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????????????????? ???????? ???????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ?????????? ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ?????????????? ???? ????????.”

It “[…] ?????? ???? ???????????? ???? ???????? ???????? ???????????????????????? (?????? ?????? ???? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ??????????????, ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????????? ????????), ???? ???????? ???????? ???????????? (?????? ??????????????, no autonomy), ???????? ????????????????????, ???????????????????????????? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ?????? ??????????????????????.”

Upon reflection, what I miss in their definition is the effect a psycho-socially unsafe environment can have on one's stress levels. Though, I suppose this meaning could be hidden in the 'poor management, unsatisfactory working conditions and lack of support' conditions mentioned.

On an entirely different but related note, another source of inspiration came later Sunday afternoon when I attended the book launch in Amsterdam of David Allen 's new book, co-authored with Edward Lamont , entitled 'Team: Getting Things Done with Others'. In this book, the authors want to achieve for Teams, what David's first book has done for many individuals: "clarify the principals of healthy, high performance, then offer a road map for leveraging these in organizations, seeking productive collaboration and effective leadership".

I could call it synchronicity or serendipity that on this day of starting to write this newsletter, these two men took the 'stage' to share the vision behind this book. They want to ensure that the broken systems, still inherent in many teams causing so much overwhelm (read stress) to team members, are repaired to enable healthier, more productive teams.

The book GTD has sold over 3 million copies and has been translated into 30 languages. If you're a (team) leader, this new book, actually a manual, shares a multitude of tools backed by case studies, you can learn from.

If you live in the Netherlands, the book is available at the American Book Centers . The book is also available online.

Last week, I gave a one hour online presentation on the topic of ageism and intergenerational workforces for the DEI Club . I call ageism the 'forgotten child of DEI' since so few DEI strategies include age as a target, while it's so deeply embedded in society.

This week, I'm giving an in-person session, at The Hague Natural Health Center, on the topic of ageism. Together with Sandra Delgado Quist and Berit Lewis , we'll offer attendees 3 perspectives on the topic. There are a couple of seats available, so register for free here .

Mary Jane Roy is the owner of Creating Waves . She is committed to sharing knowledge and strategies to support thriving people in workspaces and organizations.

If you'd like more information about workshops, speaking engagements, panels, or consultancy customized to meet your organizational needs, please click here to learn how Mary Jane can support you.

“We Need More Heart! More Compassion, Kindness, Acceptance and Forgiveness - in our families, our workplaces and in the world.”

#livingfrommyheart