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Podcast: Leadership Article Review Podcast
Episode: Combatting Contagious Stress: Building Your Resistance and Resilience in the Workplace, by Jonathan H. Westover PhD
Description:
Abstract: This article explores stress contagion in organizational settings and provides strategies for building resilience against absorbing others' tensions. It begins by outlining the research demonstrating how stress transmits between individuals through unconscious neurological mirroring and limbic system processes. Left unaddressed, this "emotional contagion" allows stresses to spread rapidly through workplaces. However, recognizing stress contagion's scientific mechanisms empowers people to disrupt that initial transmission. Techniques discussed include cultivating mindfulness to maintain attentional and emotional control, using mindful communication styles, practicing gratitude to interrupt crisis mindsets, and fostering supportive cultures where stress is openly discussed. These mindfulness, cognitive and organizational...