Jack Dorsey | Twitter CEO shares controversial 'stress management' technique

The pandemic has not been kind on wellbeing across the corporate world. Regardless of role or seniority, it’s inevitable that you will have been impacted negatively by the anxiety and uncertainty of managing people and leading in these turbulent conditions.

According to KFF Health Tracking, around four in 10 professionals have reported experiencing acute stress and anxiety over the past 12 months – this is up from just one in 10 prior to 2020.

Worryingly, another study from Benenden Health released this week found that more than six in 10 UK managers are facing a period of burnout, and one-fifth are considering quitting their job as a result.

And stress is hardly a new element in the myriad of issues that leaders have to deal with on a daily basis. Despite COVID’s effect on stress levels, the issue was already causing concern before we’d heard the word coronavirus. May Clinic data suggests that the executive lifestyle leads to less sleep, more work hours, struggles with work-life balance, frequent travel, and a sedentary lifestyle. These factors put executives at a greater risk for sleep deprivation, heart disease, depression, stroke, and diabetes.