"Female executives manage pressure situations better than men"

For five years, Dr. Rafaela Santos has been applying psychiatry in the business world to enhance the personal growth of executives. Currently, she is seeing how her patients are facing one of the worst economic crises in history- one that will have profound effects on personality. The number of cases of anxiety and stress has skyrocketed, but she is convinced that in the end, everyone will come out stronger. Furthermore, she believes that female executives are better prepared to cope in this difficult time.

- Question: What illnesses are causing the crisis among executives?

- Answer: We have observed that the level of anxiety among executives has increased. They are going through an emotional tsunami. The first symptom that they are presenting is anxiety. A crisis of such a magnitude mainly generates uncertainty. First, because their jobs are in jeopardy, as much in large as in small companies. Day-to-day, they see that some businesses are closing, that people are being laid off and that companies are starting to implement cutbacks in spending, all which create uncertainty. Second,  we face a threat in which situations occur and we must make a series of difficult decisions. As a result, one in five people will suffer from depression by the end of the crisis.

- Q. Will it leave profound effects on society?

- A: The economic crisis that we are experiencing is a big problem, but from a psychological point of view it will be good. People will come out stronger. The difficulties are not bad for human beings- there will be personal growth from suffering. It is similar to what happens after young children recover from a cold- they become stronger. We lived in a no sweat world where everything was easily within reach, with lots of easy money. Human beings need challenges to grow.

- Q: What factors currently trigger anxiety and stress?

- A: Executives have to make very important decisions in split seconds, which many people depend on.  This involves great pressure which is difficult bear. In these times of economic crisis, the greatest pressure falls on the positions of greater responsibility.

- Q: Are executives weakened by these illnesses?

- A: Human beings are vulnerable by definition, although they enjoy high levels professional and financial success, having a great purchasing power does not guarantee happiness. In many cases, although they are a great executive, they are not free of family problems. Many great executives come to consultations and they have the same problems as other families, such as difficult children or marital problems, which affect their professional lives.

- Q: What state is an executive in after being dismissed?

- A: It causes an identity crisis. They look in the mirror and do not recognize themselves. They go from having an office and responsibilities to having nothing. They even miss simply having a business card or cell phone. It can even be traumatic to change a corporate email for a Gmail or Hotmail which is for students. Then they wonder why it happened to them. The hardest thing is when they start looking for a similar job in the current climate of unemployment. Insecurity presents itself and generates irritability, coupled with economic and family conflicts.

- Q: Are the concerns of executives different to the concerns of other people?

- A: Problems make people equal. However much money you have, problems are the same for everyone. Although it is true that it helps if you are better equipped to solve the problem. A person with depression is equally depressed with a lot or very little money.

- Q: And how does it affect them?

- A: You find yourself with executives who recognize that they are unable to concentrate, they feel incapable of making decisions. Others are physically affected, with symptoms such as insomnia or hyperhidrosis.

- Q: What is the treatment to fight these diseases?

- A: The first step is to make a good diagnosis to get to know the personality and vulnerable areas of one's self, in short, to know the person. The second is to identify the problem and work to establish clear and realistic goals to achieve. The coaching process then begins, which consists of professional advice to effectively overcome the problems that arise in the work environment.
 
- Q: Can it return in weaker individuals?

- A: We have cases of senior executives who come home after a long day at work and have several drinks to unwind. In the short term , it relieves them, but eventually the problem becomes complicated and it may result in a heavy addiction.

- Q: Are there differences between how men and women cope with stress?

- A: Women manage stress better than men because of their biochemistry. Estrogen, the female sex hormone, acts as an antidepressant that makes women better prepared to cope with pressure situations. From a psychological point of view, women and men are different. A man tends to focus on one single objective, throwing himself into work, while a woman divides her attention between family and work, although the latter is very important to her. Therefore, women are used to doing several tasks at once. Caring for children or another family member does not make a woman neglect her work. In contrast, men tend to focus on a single goal- several problems at the same time create more stress for them. 

- Q: How do professional problems affect couples?

- A: In many cases, when a man has work worries, he sifts through them and turns them into only one problem. Lack of time worsens the situation, which tends to make them feel guilty. In the end, they try to remedy the conflicts that they are dealing with by using money.  They deal with their children in the same way. In one recent case, an executive separated from his wife. He explained, "I don't know what she wants if she has it all."

- Q: What is the main problem that causes anxiety and stress in a company?

- A: In a company, it is very important to know how to manage time well in order to increase efficiency. A worker has to learn to respect their personal life to be able to work better. One of the biggest problems today is presenteeism. Before, absenteeism was rife, but now with the crisis, people spend too much time in the office, they don't want to be noted as sick for fear of being fired. The result is low productivity. Work performance is not about spending hours on the job, but being efficient.

- Q: But is it possible to separate personal from professional life?

- A: (Smiles) This is why we work. An executive's agenda says a lot about who they are and it must be balanced. If there is no space for recreation, family or friends are in grave danger, if the executive fails at work, their lives will collapse. The key is to avoid this with time management. It is necessary to reserve a few hours a day for family.