Our Nervous Systems at Work
Have you ever experienced an event at work that seemed “minor” in hindsight that made you feel threatened at the time? Perhaps you received a terse electronic communication from a coworker, or did not receive a timely response to a promotion request. Neither of these things are physically dangerous, yet often our systems respond as if they are.
Biologically, our nervous systems are designed to mobilize us to respond effectively to keep us alive when a perceived threat exists. Your system doesn’t know that getting yelled at by a client is not the same thing as being cornered by a predator. While we can’t control our initial reactions, we can understand what’s happening and why, then use that information to engage with rather than being overwhelmed by our reactions.
Depending on your developmental experiences, genetics, the context, and other factors, what activates someone else’s nervous system may not activate yours, and vice versa. In addition to whether you are activated at all, there are four types of nervous system reactions that might show up: fight, flight, fawn, and freeze.
Activation leading to a fight response shows up as anger and/or aggression. In the workplace, these are usually people that yell, or even display violent behavior, like slamming their fist into a table. This person will likely put a lot of perfectionistic demands on others, yet be unable to trust fully. The flight response frequently shows up with a need to constantly be busy. “Busyness” is used as a shield and as a way to hide. These people almost always have a keen sense of urgency and care a lot about details, sometimes to the point of getting lost within them.
The fawn responders do their best to meet every need, be perfect all the time, and are constantly violating their own needs and boundaries to give 110%. It is very important in a fawn response to avoid being a burden to anyone and to never say no to anything. The freeze response generally results in dissociation and “hiding” behavior – avoiding getting noticed, even in a positive way. These folks may appear burned out, be exhausted all the time, and generally avoid social interaction. Regardless of the type of response, nervous system activation quite literally amps up your animalistic functioning, and turns off your higher cognition.
So, what can we do about this?
1. Recognize when you are in an activated state. Learn what activation feels like for you, and understand your primary (and/or secondary) nervous system responses. Some potential clues for activation include physical symptoms: change in heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and digestion as well as extreme thoughts: feelings of being unsafe, sudden anger or sadness. Once you know what it feels like, you can begin to understand the patterns of what causes your nervous system to activate.
2. Take steps to get closer to a grounded (non-activated) state. Depending on how you are activated, this might look different. For example, a fight response might require a “cooling down” activity, such as a power walk around the block. A freeze response might require a “warming up” activity, such as some gentle stretching.
3. Once you are more grounded, move forward with decision-making or strategic work requiring complex thought. This ensures that your prefrontal cortex (area of the brain responsible for executive functioning) is back online, and will enable you to do your best and most innovative work.
Why do this at all?
One of the major tenets we live by at Cressana is that knowledge is power, and knowing yourself is the ultimate super power. Understanding your nervous system and how it works is one of the keys to both longevity and success in your career and your personal life. Regular self-aware monitoring will decrease the likelihood that you will experience chronic stress and burnout. Chronic stress has a whole host of negative mental and physical effects like depression, anxiety, poor immune functioning, chronic headaches and pain, heart disease, and many more. Additionally, the ability to engage with and manage your own nervous system will increase your ability to recognize activation in others, leading to a much stronger ability to facilitate team and group interactions.