【TED】工作压力的代价——以及如何减轻压力

中英文稿

 

压力——我们对它都不陌生， 我们也拥有不同的解压方式。 不管压力让我们脑中的思绪 急速运转或是迟缓停滞， 让你暴饮暴食，或是食不甘味， 让你彻夜难眠，还是无力起床， 坦白说，压力糟透了。

但压力也有好的一面，知道吧， 比如说，当你在为此生 参与的最大型的公开演讲做准备。

在一个全球性的平台上。

不，即便是正面的压力 也会让你头晕转向， 但是我今天想谈的是负面压力。 而且估计原因出乎大家意料。

我是一名为富人工作的客户经理， 意味着，我与富豪 以及他们的家庭紧密地合作， 以协助他们实现财务目标。 我经常关注经济情况，因为我知道 经济若有任何动荡， 我的客户也会受影响， 我发现压力对经济有着巨大的影响。 根据一些估算，你知道 在美国，工作压力每年 造成的损失接近 3000 亿美元吗？

影响如此巨大的职场压力 与人们的工作效率和 身心健康息息相关。 今天，我想聊聊这个。 顺便一提，这还涉及到员工离职， 影响工作的慢性病， 以及工病工伤。 当你把这五项因素的成本全加起来， 这是每年等值 2.2 万亿美元的损失， 是我们 GDP 的 12%。

我知道你们在想什么， “怎么会损失这么多钱?” 压力是一件极其私人的事， 所以人们很难想象 它会造成如此大的影响。 但试着用着思想试验来解释原委。 想象一位单身母亲， 她有一份高压职业， 在一个高压环境下工作， 她九成的工作时间 都处在这个环境中。 她没有时间烧饭， 那么她会选择便捷的快餐， 这意味着什么？ 摄入过度加工的高糖食物。 日复一日，不良的饮食习惯， 加上工作压力， 让她患上了慢性病。 我们称之为糖尿病。 为此，她和她的公司 需要支付更多医药费， 这意味着更多的压力。 现在，她担心她的 健康状况和收支平衡， 她很有可能会分心，降低工作效率。 但是她可没法这样，记得吗？ 她是一位单身母亲。 她现在会考虑， “若我出事了怎么办？ 谁来照顾我的孩子？ 谁来照顾我的宝贝？” 这会造成更多的压力。 现在，你可以稍许 改变一下故事中的情形， 并放眼全国， 你现在或许可以理解， 为什么会有数万亿美元的损失。

我对这件事感同身受。 我的父亲是我认识的 最勤劳、最聪明的人。 别误会，我母亲也工作， 并贡献了许多， 但父亲绝对是家中的主心骨。 我确信在座的大多数都能理解 照顾家庭带来的的压力和苦恼。 这种压力再加上职场上的压力， 你知道会有什么后果吗？ 造成的是治不好的高血压， 逐渐发展成肾功能衰竭， 十年来依赖着做透析， 这是他的命运。 我很高兴可以和大家分享， 父亲得到了肾移植， 就在去年。 但是 ——

（掌声和欢呼）

但是，将近十年， 不论是我的家庭还是全国经济 都没有从父亲的职业道德 或是智慧中受益， 而他也会说， 这非常可悲。 我想说的是， 我认为压力影响经济 因为它降低工作效率， 并增高医疗费用。 有道理吗？ 我说的对吗？ 但没道理的是，

现今来自世界卫生组织的研究 显示全球的医疗领域的花费 高达 7.8 万亿美元。 全球健康研究所的研究显示 4.5 万亿美元的全球健康产业， 从 2015 年的 3.7 万亿美元 在 2017 年增长到了 4.2 万亿美元， 并会持续增长到 2022 年。 那又如何，你为什么需要关注这件事呢？ 因为这增长速度几乎是 全球经济增长的两倍， 后者同期平均增长率是 3.3 %。 那又代表了什么呢？ 每年，我们在医疗健康、 健康生活和相关产业上 投入的钱 正在以比全球经济发展 快两倍的速度急速增涨。 与此同时，每年我们还是 损失了数万亿美元的产量。 这是怎么了？

压力升级了， 我觉得这需要改变。 我也认为人们对于 压力的观念需要改变。 让我们尝试改变看待压力的方式。 你看，我们常常把压力 看作是一件事的后果， 但我却把它看做是一种文化。 我们在什么事上花的时间最多？ 在我们的工作上，对吧？ 我们面临需要找到 工作和生活的平衡。 因此，工作、压力、 健康和良好生活之间， 从未如此紧密相连。 但我们对待职场压力和身心健康方面 还存在着很多脱节。 我们可以错怪在很多事上： 新的科技， 股东对于收益回报的过度关注， 或者我个人的最爱， 与远亲近邻的攀比， 我们喜欢拍照片炫耀。 但说到底， 我担心人们创造了一种文化—— 把个人健康和良好生活放在第二位。 我们应该如何改变呢？

我认为答案存在于三个基本板块。 如果你发现自己在想， “罗伯，这些都是老生常谈， 说一些我没听过的吧。” 问问你自己， 若我们已经找到了解决方法， 那我们以前都做了些什么？

首先，公司方面。 具体来说，公司文化和沟通风格 对职场压力和员工的良好状态 有着举足轻重的影响。 文化就是一家公司的基因，对吗？ 它奠定了公司的基调， 甚至可以定义整个公司。 我认为公司应该在 员工的身体、心理和情感健康上 多花心思并多做投资， 就如公司在创新、研究 和发展上做的投资一样。 我认为这种投资会提高 员工的工作效率并减少他们的压力。 我确信如此。 但为了真起成效， 公司必须找到一种方式 来评估员工的身心状态， 其方法应该和预测 发展和收入一样精准。 如果这听起来要求太高， 问问你自己， 公司最有竞争力的资本是什么？ 是它的员工。 我们都知道。 和公司里的所有事一样， 这种改变应该是从顶层开始。 如果你是一位领导， 向所有人展示 你对于心理健康的重视， 对于良好身心状态的重视， 是一个很棒的催化剂。

我是个足球迷，所有人都知道， 我成长中，遇到过很多位教练。 有一个总是会带领我们 做很多的有氧运动。 他不会站在场外观察。 他会主动加入我们。 他的行为产生了三种效果： 令我很难去抱怨；

让我坚持跟上进度； 而且总让我更投入训练。 这是同样的道理。

最后一点：沟通。 为了能确保我的客户 达到他们的财务目标， 我需要积极主动去听 他们的需求并回应。 让你的员工告诉你 什么正造成他们的压力。 让他们告诉你 什么可以让他们状态更好。 并付之行动。 按照他们的建议，付之行动， 向他们表明你很认真地 对待他们的建议， 如果是这样，公司肯定会获益。 为什么？ 因为身心健康的职员 效率高，压力少。

接着， 我要请大家的老大哥帮忙。 是的，政府需要在这件事上负起责任。 世界经济论坛和哈佛公众卫生学院 预计在 2011至 2030 年之间， 重大慢性病和精神疾病 会对全球经济造成 47 万亿美元的损失。 现在已经是 2020 年了。 我不是说压力会导致所有慢性病 或是精神疾病， 但即使一部分是由压力所致， 想象这个数字可以降到多低。 若是我们的政府尽其所能， 当好一位尽职者。 但是在此情况下， 是为了提高工作环境的标准。 说不定，公司有针对性的缴税政策， 可以帮助提高这些标准。 但是公司对于员工 身心健康的政策和企划 即使获得有远见的政府支持， 若是没有关键性的支持 就不会有多大作用。 你。

是的，压力和解压的方式多种多样， 但你必须发挥自己的作用。 这会帮助到你和经济。 朋友们，我不是心理学家，好吗？ 但是我对于自己的心理健康 和身心状态做出了积极的响应。 这是我最后想讲的几句。

我认为，大家可以踏出的第一步 是对自己坦诚。 关于什么呢？ 就是正视自己的身心健康和情感状态， 并直视自己已受到的伤害。 承认自己有时会将外部舆论 看得比自我评价重要。 想想社交媒体。 正视我们是如何定义自己 和定义自己的究竟是什么。 当然，你的事业的确 塑成了一部分的你， 但是，我们是否让事业 定义我们太多了呢？ 问问自己， “这是否和付出的代价相等？” 我指的不局限于金钱。

对我来说，坦诚意味着好好看待 自己的想法，勇气和失败。 多年前的一场比赛中， 一个教练来到我面前和我说， “罗伯，你得挑起大梁， 我们今天可不能输。” 我当然挺身而出， 却失败了。 我们输了。

谢谢你们笑我。

感觉真好。 我只是开玩笑，但是， 这件事缠绕了我很久， 当我遇到很多其它机会， 需要我挺身而出、 去成长、发展时， 我都会低下头， 往后退一步。 直到我发现了——正念。 现在，我在每一天生活中 都不断地练习正念。 活在当下。

我知道，正念可能不适用于所有人， 但我想到那些成功人士 和有影响力的人， 我都看到一个共同点。 他们都是自己心理状态的大师， 其中包括处理压力。 这都与培养自己的认知意识， 发现并接受 自己的想法、情感、环境和身体。 对吗？ 我不是说永远都不面对压力， 而是处理压力的能力， 它可以帮助到你和经济。 我希望可以给你们留下最后一点。

我们都知道面对退休， 最重要的是现在多存钱， 为以后做准备。 如果我们可以用同样的方式 对待心理健康和身心状态会怎么样？ 在现今多多发展并储存自己， 为了以后的生活。 不做和浪费没什么区别， 更糟糕的是，时间在不停流逝。 两者中， 哪一个是你不可失而复得的？ 所以让我们直视压力文化， 并开始过更开心，更健康 更有效率的生活，

谢谢。

 

Stress -- we all know what it is and we all handle it differently. Whether it's our thoughts speeding up or slowing down, eating our emotions or not at all, difficulty sleeping or just getting out of bed. Frankly, it sucks.

But there's good stress too, you know, like preparing for the biggest public speaking event you've ever given.

On a global platform.

No, even the good stress can mess with you, but it's the bad stress that I came to talk about. And probably not for the reason you'd expect.

I'm a relationship manager for affluent individuals. Meaning, I work with wealthy folks and their families, hip to hip, helping them achieve their financial goals. I like to keep the economy in mind, because I know that whatever impacts the economy, impacts my clients, and it turns out stress is impacting the economy in a massive way. What if I told you that by some estimates, the cost of work-related stress in the US is close to 300 billion dollars annually?

Workplace stress, the stress causing this massive impact, is related to productivity and wellness. Today, that's what we're here to talk about. And by the way, it's linked to employee disengagement, chronic diseases that impact your work and work-related injuries and illnesses. And when you add up the cost of all five factors, it's an estimated 2.2 trillion dollars annually. That represents 12 percent of our GDP.

Now I know what you're thinking, "That is a lot of money, and how?" Stress is this deeply personal thing, it's crazy to think it can have such a massive impact. But consider this thought experiment to explain how. Imagine a single mother working a stressful job, in a stress-filled environment, where she sits 90 percent of the time. Maybe she doesn't have time to cook, so she chooses meals based off of convenience, which usually means what? Overly processed, high-sugar foods. Over time, this poor diet, mixed with stress from work, leads to a chronic disease. Let's call it diabetes. Medical care cost her and the company more money, which means more stress. Now, she's worried about her health and making ends meet, so she's probably distracted and less productive. But she can't be, remember? She's a single mother. Now she's thinking, "What if something happens to me? Who is going to take care of my child? Who is going to take care of my baby?" More stress. Now take that scenario, tweak it whichever way you'd like, and lay it over the nation, and you might start to see how we run up against that multitrillion dollar cost.

This all hits very close to home for me. My father's one of the hardest-working and most intelligent people that I know. Don't get me wrong, mom worked and provided too, but he definitely embraced the role of being the primary breadwinner. And I'm sure most of us can understand the stress and pressure that comes with taking care of our families. But when you combine that with workplace stress, do you know what could happen? Developing irreversible high blood pressure, eventually losing function of your kidneys and spending a decade on dialysis -- his fate. Now I'm happy to report that he did get a kidney transplant just last year. However --

(Applause and cheers)

However, for nearly a decade, neither the economy nor my family got the benefit from his work ethic or his intelligence, and as he would say, that's just really sad commentary. All I'm saying is, I think stress impacts the economy by reducing productivity and increasing health care costs. Makes sense? Right? But here's what doesn't.

Current research from the World Health Organization puts global spending on health at 7.8 trillion dollars. Research from the Global Wellness Institute suggests that the 4.5-trillion-dollar global wellness industry grew from 3.7 to 4.2 trillion between 2015 and 2017, and sees that growth into 2022. So what, why do you care? Because that growth is nearly twice as fast as the global economy, averaging about 3.3 percent in the same period. So what does all that mean? Every year, we're spending more per year on health, and the industries all about developing overall well-being and living a healthier lifestyle are growing almost twice as fast as the global economy, and yet, we're losing trillions of dollars per year in output. So what's up?

Well, stress levels are up, and I believe that needs to change. I also believe the way we think about stress needs to change. So let's try by reframing how we view it. See, we tend to think about stress as a consequence, but I see it as a culture. Where do most of us spend our time? At work, right? Where we face that scale of finding that work-life balance. So the bonds between work, stress, health and wellness have never been closer. And yet, there's a massive disconnect in how we approach stress and well-being in the workplace. And we could blame many things, right? New tech, laser focus on shareholder returns, or my favorite, keeping up with the Joneses and taking pictures while we try. But at the end of the day, I'm afraid that we've created a culture where personal care and overall well-being are given the back seat. So how do we move forward?

I believe the answer lies in three fundamental pillars. And if you find yourselves thinking, "Rob, I've heard this before, tell me something I don't know," ask yourself, if we already know what to do, then what have we been doing?

First, corporations. Specifically, how a corporation's culture and communication style play a pivotal role in the stress and well-being of a workplace. The DNA of a company is its culture, right? It sets the tone, even goes as far as defining the company. But I think companies should invest in the overall mental, physical and emotional well-being of their employees the way they invest in innovation, R and D, right? And do I think that this would increase productivity and reduce stress? I really do. But for it to really stick, a company has to figure out a way to measure the overall well-being of its employees with the same accuracy and precision that they project growth and earnings. And if this sounds like a tall order, ask yourself what really is a company's most competitive advantage. Its people. We know this. And just like anything in a company, it has to start at the top. So if you're a leader, openly showing how you care for your mental health and overall well-being is a huge catalyst.

It's no secret I'm a soccer fan, so growing up, I had a couple of coaches. And I always had one who would lead the heavy cardio workouts. He would not stand on the side and spectate. He would participate. And that did three things. It made it difficult for me to complain.

I always made sure to keep up, and I always felt more dialed in to the exercise. It's the same idea.

And finally, communication. In order for me to really help my clients achieve their financial goals, requires that I actively listen and then respond. Let your employees tell you what stresses them out. Let them tell you what wellness benefits they need. And then act. And acting on what they tell you will show how serious you take that feedback, and I can't help but feel the company will win in the long run. Why? Because properly equipped employees will be more productive and less stressed.

Next, I'd like to ask help from everyone's favorite uncle. That's right, the government has to play a role in this. The World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health estimate that from 2011 to 2030, major chronic diseases and mental illnesses will cost the global economy 47 trillion dollars. And it's 2020. Now I'm not saying stress causes all major chronic diseases, or all mental illnesses, but even if a portion of it is, imagine how much lower that number could be if the government did what it does best -- serve as the enforcer. But in this case, for higher workplace standards. I don't know, maybe even corporate tax-incentive programs to help raise those standards, but the best wellness corporate policies and initiatives backed by a forward-thinking government won't matter much without help from the most crucial pillar. You.

That's right, stress and managing it is so dynamic, you have to play your part. And it's going to benefit you and the economy. Look folks, I'm not a psychologist, OK? But I have taken steps to develop my own mental health and overall well-being, so here's my last two cents.

I think a crucial first step is for everyone is to be honest with themselves. About what? About putting your mental, physical and emotional well-being in the rear view and the damage it has caused. Honest about placing public opinion above self-preservation. Think social media. Honest about how we define ourselves and what actually does. Sure, your career contributes to a portion of who you are. But are we allowing it to define us just a little too much? And ask, "Is this bringing me the value I saw with what it costs me?" And I don't just mean the dollars.

For me, being honest meant to get a good, hard look at my relationship with my thoughts, courage and failure. Started years ago in this tournament championship game, coach comes to me and says, "Rob Cooke, you step up, we can't lose today." So I stepped up. Failed. We lost.

Thanks for laughing.

Feels good. No, but ... You know, after that, it stayed with me for a while, to the point where any opportunity to step up, grow, develop, I'd quietly bow my head, step back. And then I discovered mindfulness. And I continued to develop it in my daily life to this day. To live in the present, the now.

Now I get it, mindfulness may not be for everyone, but when I think of some of the most successful and impactful people, I see a common trend. Mastery of their mental game. Which includes stress management. It's all about developing awareness, acknowledgment and acceptance of your current thoughts, emotions, environment and physical state. Right? Now I didn't say never facing stress. But the management of that stress -- that's the benefit, again, for you and the economy. I'll leave you with this thought.

We all know that retirement is all about saving more now for later. What if we treated our mental health and overall well-being in the same capacity? Develop and save more of you now for later in life. Doing nothing means more cost, and worse, less time. And of the two, which can't you get back? So let's start moving this culture of stress forward, and start living happier, healthier and hopefully, more productive lives.

Thank you.