Well, I spent my Easter in bed with shingles and if that doesn’t say avoid burnout and low immunity at all costs, then I don’t know what does. Honestly, if you haven’t had shingles, it’s like being hit repeatedly in the head with a brick, while having a swollen face. It’s about as exciting as it sounds.
We often talk about how people are feeling under pressure at the moment with the cost of living, staff shortages, and general unpredictability – be it the weather, the pandemic, or something else. And it got me thinking about the levels of psychological stress people are living with day-to-day and the impact of that on health.
It sent me down a research rabbit hole on the impact of stress on immunity. It’s fairly common knowledge that stress can mean you’re more susceptible to falling ill – but what does that really mean?
From a biology point of view, it gets very technical, very quickly. If you want to read a brilliant overview – check out this great article. The main headline is that chronic stress is linked to inflammation, cancer, mental health disorders, cardiovascular disease, and increased susceptibility to infections [HELLO shingles].
There’s also evidence that burnout is linked to low immunity.
So what can we do from a workplace wellbeing perspective? First, it’s really important to acknowledge it’s not someone’s fault if they’re stressed and unwell. It’s a human response to a set of extraordinary demands. Focus on supporting them to recover as best they can right now. More broadly, the antidote lies in addressing the main causes of workplace stress – demands, control, support, relationships, role clarity and change processes.
And what does it mean for me? I’m using all the tools I talk about – including identifying what I can control, self-compassion, and taking micro-steps each day. Nothing like having to practice what we preach….. right?
