First, it should be noted that the level of distress is on a continuum, so it is important for the manager to be able to identify where he is on this continuum in order to be able to act before exhaustion sets in. The allegory of the frog in the pot then applies perfectly. The secret is to identify when the water is hot enough to jump out of the pot before leaving your skin there! Not so simple… but not impossible!

(Re)cognizing the symptoms specific to psychological distress is a first step in the right direction. Since our thoughts (what I tell myself) are the driving force behind our emotions (what I feel) and our behaviors (what I do), becoming aware of our thoughts is one of the effective ways to prevent the development of distress.

To help you, I present them to you in a fun and applied form. So here are the most frequently encountered “suspicious thoughts”:

1. Irritability. In a situation of chronic stress, I have less patience for everyday irritants. Situations that are not usually a source of annoyance become major annoyances. This irritability can manifest itself at work, but also at home with loved ones.

2. Forgetfulness and concentration problems. I am less present in my daily life. The worries caused by the different situations I encounter at work will take up too much space in my thoughts. Result: I am no longer cognitively present. My brain no longer registers information at certain times; I no longer know where I put my wallet or my keys, I forget to call a colleague as promised, I do not remember the last four pages of the report I am reading, etc.

3. Insomnia. Significant distress, as it intensifies the vicious circle of fatigue. The more tired I am, the more stress affects me. The more I am affected by stress, the more I try to find solutions to my difficulties by ruminating on thoughts. The more I ruminate, the less I am able to fall asleep (a physiological reality!). The less I sleep, the more tired I am. And here we go again!

I can't believe I cc'd the vendor on this email! What was I thinking?

4. Making mistakes. I notice that the quality of my work is declining and above all that I do not realize what is causing this decline in quality. People point out unusual mistakes to me, I do not understand how I could have made them. I feel like I am working as hard and with the same rigor as usual, but the mistakes keep happening.

5. Emotional lability. I am more emotional in everyday situations. I feel like events affect me more than usual. I feel a tightness in my throat, almost like crying, whenever a situation provokes even an iota of emotion in me.

6. Helplessness. This feeling is experienced as a sense of not being able to do it. We have the impression that we will live this discomfort perpetually and that the only way to get rid of it is to do something else, to run away, to retrain in another position or even another life. We therefore try to manage the feeling of helplessness with a very ineffective stress management strategy, running away.

When developing stress management skills, the first important skill to develop is the ability to observe these symptoms. Identifying them allows you to intervene quickly and adjust your course in order to plan for recovery periods. On that note, don't forget that we are now more than 12 weeks after Christmas, it's time to take a break if you want to stay productive until the summer holidays!