Inner Management as a method of learning to manage chronic stress in order to avoid associated diseases

Stress is a natural reaction necessary to cope with our daily lives. The problem arises when we live in a constant state of alert. An increasing number of scientific studies suggest that our constant state of alert is a genuine problem for our health. Almost all major diseases of the population are related to chronic stress. (Segerstrom and Miller, 2004; Kopp and Réthelyi, 2004; McEwen and Lasky, 2002). Between 75 and 90 per cent of medical consultations have stress as the main cause (Atkinson, 2000). Learning to manage this excess accumulated stress is therefore crucial to avoiding diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart problems, obesity, diabetes and cancer, among others.

The first step would be to identify the source of this chronic stress. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report, conducted in more than 160 countries, 44% of employees surveyed said they experience a lot of stress at work, which is consistent with last year’s findings, keeping employee stress at record levels and continuing a “trend of high stress that began nearly a decade ago”. According to Gallup, workers in the United States and Canada and East Asia reported the highest levels of daily stress globally (52%), while workers in Latin America and the Caribbean (41%) and Europe (39%) reported lower levels of stress. Globally, stress was highest among young workers and those working exclusively in remote or hybrid locations. Among the causes, poor organisation and management of the tasks and projects to be carried out, unfavourable working conditions and lack of support from managers and colleagues were highlighted.

This research project proposes to study the reduction of chronic stress levels, and therefore the prevention or improvement of stress-related illnesses in the business environment, following the application of the Inner Management method.

References:

• Segerstrom y Miller (2004).
• Kopp y Réthelyi (2004).
• McEwen y Lasky (2002).
• Atkinson, William (2000). “Strategies for Workplace Stress.” Risk & Insurance Online (www.riskandinsurance.com).