It used to be thought that working long hours led to work related ill health and that was all we needed to know. Unfortunately this was not being borne out by people’s experiences. There were those people, often quoted by employers’ organisations, who seemed to work very long hours with practically no ill effects. Then there were those who worked part time hours and seemed to be as subject to poor health as their full time colleagues. In a number of pieces of research there was no difference between the illness levels of those people working more than 48 hours a week and those working less.

The facts did not fit the theory, and it took further research to find the answer – a sense of control. Those of generally felt their working lives were out of control were much more likely to feel ill than those who felt relatively in control. And when people were asked why they worked long hours the overwhelming response was to try to control their workload. So control is the key to both over-working and stress levels. If we can restore people’s sense of control they can reduce their hours to the levels where they are generally happy and reduce the amount of stress related illness.

This is why one of the fundamental principles of the work I do with organisations is aimed at restoring control for individuals rather than looking at general polices or corporate strategies. These undoubtedly have their place, but they can feel too far removed from the worker stuck behind his desk at 8pm with a mountain of paperwork, or the employee spending yet another Saturday catching up on her emails just to keep on top of it all.

Without even releasing it people’s beliefs and attitudes have led them to become passive in the face of the onslaught of their working lives, surrendering control and gaining stress as a result. By adapting these beliefs they can take a more active stance and manage their workload rather than be managed by it.

People who attend the Centre’s workshops are surprised to find that we do not talk about polices but rather about the personal beliefs and attitudes that have led them to their current situation. It is by changing these that we can change the resulting behaviour, and the change can be dramatic and far reaching.

So is the modern day stress epidemic just all in the mind? Thankfully the answer is “Yes, some of it is.” Which is good news as with the right techniques and help you can change your mind.