Stress is part of our daily lives, and we have all experienced it at one point or another.
At low levels, stress can provide motivation and help us to make crucial decisions but sometimes it can overwhelm us and prevent us from making progress.
In 2019, roughly 10.6 million people (aged 16 and above) in the UK reported having high anxiety. And a total of 17.9 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
Being more aware of how stress affects the brain and what we can do to mitigate these effects has a considerable impact on our personal and professional wellbeing.
Stress and executive function
Understanding stress involves unpicking how the brain works and how we process information.
There are various domains of the human brain that encompass the different processes we use to think and learn.
Executive Function is one of these domains. But really, it’s an umbrella term given to a variety of core functions that we perform during day-to-day tasks, including:
- Reasoning
- Planning
- Problem-solving
- Multi-tasking
- Concentration and attention
- Working memory
These are essential skills for our learning and working roles.
And when we think about stress, these are precisely the skills we need to effectively handle any demands we face.
Yet, research shows that these executive functions are directly interrupted and impaired by stress, causing things like:
Behavioural changes
Becoming short-tempered, having a lack of confidence, being sensitive to constructive criticism, etc.
Loss of memory
Forgetting to do a task or missing an important deadline.
An inability to make decisions
Overthinking plans, second-guessing our abilities or feeling overwhelmed by too many options.
Attention problems
Procrastinating, starting new projects mid-task, and losing focus in meetings.
So this means that the more effectively we deal with stress, the less impact it will have on our overall wellbeing.
Cognassist specialises in assessing people’s needs based on Executive Function and other core domains of the brain.
We deliver support in the form of personalised learning strategies as well as access to reasonable adjustments for certain types of learners in further, adult and higher education.
We provide vital coping strategies for learners with identified learning needs and help them to overcome any stress they may experience during their programme.
Our learning library, with over 500 strategies, is personalised to different learner’s needs and provides them with the skills to cope with the demands of working life and more.
And you can learn more about positive ways to tackle stress.
For 14 years, she worked with disabled HE students through the DSA funding. She saw first-hand that with the correct understanding and support, disabled learners can have an equal chance of success as their peers. Louise has been at Cognassist...
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