We work in a fast-paced, customer-focused, and goal-driven business. With that comes stress. Embracing our value Do Right With Urgency shouldn’t cause you stress. It should empower you to acknowledge stressful situations and find ways to overcome them.
 
Acute stress happens quickly but is momentary; it’s when you feel that extra adrenaline that engages your “fight or flight” response. This could happen when we hear that an apartment is flooding and we jump into an unknown situation. It can also be tied to a positive moment, when we are excited about something, for example, when that prospect we know is absolutely going to lease just arrived for their tour.
 
Episodic acute stress is when someone feels acute stress frequently. A person may feel they are constantly under pressure or that things are always going wrong. This could be caused by internal pressure one puts on themselves or from outside sources. For some, this can cause irritability or unintentional hostility.
 
Chronic stress is ongoing stress resulting from long-term emotional pressure—for example, unhappiness at a job, a challenging family situation or money problems. A person feeling chronic stress experiences the fight or flight response too frequently to recover between episodes. This means their nervous system is constantly hyperactive, which is not suitable for a person’s health.
 
So, what do we do about it? Methods such as meditation or breathing exercises may work for some, but others may turn to talking to a friend or writing in a journal. Everyone needs their way to de-stress, and we want to hear yours. Take two minutes and go to the Gratitude Wall to share what methods you are grateful for that help to de-stress you.

Have a comment or suggestion for the EssexNEXT Committee? Please email us at EssexNEXT@essex.com.