Stress has become a endemic problem of our society. According to official figures, in Europe they are allocated annually 20 billion eurosacombat the effects of stress and the workplace is one of the main scenarios where it manifests itself. Endless hours, unattainable goals, and toxic dynamics at work push millions of people to the limit every day. In this context, Mario Alonso Puig, surgeon and expert in emotional intelligence, offered a series of valuable reflections on how to manage stress and anxiety during an episode of Judith Tiral's podcast.
“What can get you out of the hole is a question: 'What is the smallest step I dare to take?'” said the surgeon, revealing that one of the keys to combating stress is to consider small achievable goals. In your experience, this can make a big difference. «When you are in the hole it is not only that you feel bad, it is that you feel incapable, and the more incapable you feel, the worse you will feel emotionally. “If you make that person start to feel capable of doing something very small, everything begins to be transformed,” he noted, to which he added: “The mind has to block us so that we do not feel capable, the question can get us out of that.” blockade”.
Words and their transformative impact
To support his theory, the surgeon related a experience that he had during a coaching program: «Many years ago I ran a coaching program and one of the participants told me that he got depressed when he walked into his office and saw the mess. I said, 'What's the smallest step I dare take?'” The seemingly simple answer had a transformative impact on that person's life.
«The man went to his office on Saturday, when he didn't have to work. He organized some sheets that were out of order, some pens that each of them had… he organized it. “He organized his entire office,” the doctor recalled. “He called me and said, 'How is this possible?'” he added. The answer, according to the expert, lay in the approach: «Because you didn't ask yourself the right question. The right question is not 'How can I solve it instantly?', it's 'What is the smallest step I dare to take?'”
