Dr Olivia O'Leary discusses the science of workplace stress in Irish Examiner article

24 Jul 2023

Dr Olivia O'Leary senior lecturer in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience at UCC, explains the changes that occur in our bodies when we experience stress.

Chatting with Irish Examiner journalist Sharon Ní Chonchúir Dr O'Leary describes the neuroscience behind the effects of stress. She explains how 'evolutionarily, the purpose of our body’s response to stress is to protect us from potentially harmful situations" and how 'short-term activation of the biological stress response induces energy release and increases brain alertness and focus that can help us perform in an exam, give a presentation to important clients, or meet a tight deadline" but warns that "chronic, unmanaged stress can be damaging in all sorts of ways". But with proactive management techniques stress can be kept at a health level, and quoting stress researcher Hans Seyle, Dr O'Leary concludes that 'it is not stress that kills us but our reaction to it!'

Read the full Irish Examiner article here: Workplace Wellbeing: Getting the stress balance right 

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Photograph and news item B. Riedewald