Corporations are reeling from the research showing that wellness programs are not cost-effective, as they do not change health outcomes. Stress that impacts our physiology is what predicts health outcomes, and EBT is designed to switch off physiologic stress.
Stress is getting worse, and with the election upon us next year, along with the polarization of our nation, the climate change challenges, and how that all finds its way into our brain and our health, it's time for wellness programs to get serious about stress! What follow are three steps to bring wellness in line with brain science!
Step 1. Think Circuits, Not Behaviors
Behaviors are the tail end of brain circuits. If we change the behavior but not the circuit, it's like going against the fight-or-flight response. It's exhausting and in peak stress times, that strategy fails us. Stress is not a continuous variable, but a dichotomous one. If we switch on a stress-reactive (allostatic) circuit, we are stagnant, unhealthy, and unhappy. If we switch on a stress-resilient (homeostatic) circuit, we are vibrant, healthy, and happy.
Step 2. Switch Off Reactivity, Switch on Resilience
When employees are in stress (internal or external), they're apt to trigger their stress-reactive circuits, which takes conscious control (the prefrontal cortex) offline, and activates physiologic stress, inflammation, and ineffective emotions, thoughts, and behavior. Wellness supports, other than changing policies, procedures, and the environment, typically cognitive programs (mindfulness, CBT, or health education) are not effective. Therefore, often wellness programs use incentives and one-on-one coaching to try to bust past that reactive wire and provide a semblance of a resilient wire. That's really expensive and may be unnecessary if employees have the tools to switch off stress-reactivity and the cascade of stress hormones. The EBT tools are designed to accomplish that in real-time throughout the workday.
Instead, just give employees the tools to self-direct their own resilience. You can't think your way out of a stress-reactive moment when a customer is difficult, a co-worker challenging, or overwork brings out unwanted appetites and drives. If we get triggered at work and don't shut off that wire, this taxes the prefrontal cortex, so by the time we arrive home, we have no bandwidth to be our best selves. Emotional tools can flip the switch in one to four minutes. We believe employees should have the tools to switch off stress in real-time, so they can resume their peak performance in a matter of a few minutes.
Get Ahead of Stress - Use the Brain Based Health App!
They can use employee wellness well, and expensive incentives and one-on-one coaching may not be necessary. The reactive wires are the ones that fuel 75 to 90% of health problems, and because EBT addresses these wires with self-help, private, and confidential tools, health costs may decrease, in the short- and long-term. A two-year follow-up of a UCSF study showed that changes persisted, with 86% reporting coping better with work stress, 91% improved mood, 77% improved weight, blood pressure decreased for 69%, and 90% used substances less. When you train the brain for resilience, health and happiness improve.
Step 3. Create a corporate culture that leans into stress
Everyone is feeling the stress these days, so it's time to address stress effectively. Why not celebrate taking "resiliency breaks" so that employees can switch off reactive circuits and strengthen resilient circuits so that we raise the brain's set point and become resiliency superstars? This means making the Brain Based Health app available to all employees, so they can do "on the spot" deactivation of those circuits. Instead of waiting until they arrive home in the evening, they can switch off stress throughout the day.
In writing the Welcoa article, and meeting the deadline, I got by on scant sleep for two nights. You'd think I would plan ahead and have plenty of time, but that's not how the world works these days. So many competing and important demands! I submitted the article on time, but this morning, my brain was in reactive mode. At first, I tried to "figure out" what was going on with me. I was a bit "off." Then I used the app. First, I used Damage Control, then the Stop a Trigger Tool, and finally, the Compassion Tool. I collected a Joy Point and then happily went about my day with plenty of energy and a positive mood. I needed the app, and it was there for me!
Let's make America healthy again! That will take bringing wellness in line with the intense stress employees face: 80% report being stressed and 42% have left a job because of stress. With the launch of the new Brain Based Health app, the EBT tools can make a difference. Please forward this blog to your wellness team and make these tools available to employees. Let's use our brain's natural pathways to get from stress to joy. As the brain is the chief controller of wellness, that makes sense!