I’ll start a new life on Monday
A new book explains the dangers of chronic stress for business executives and proposes preventive measures and lifestyle changes
written by ◦ José Enrique Barreiro photos by ◦ Roberto Rosa

A study of 25,000 executives carried out by Med-Rio Check-up, a Rio de Janeiro medical clinic, shows that chronic stress has invaded the corporate world and changed the daily lives of key professionals for the worse. Nearly 70% of them suffer from this disorder, which can lead to gastritis, hypertension, ulcers, headaches, skin problems, obesity, strokes, heart attacks and a decreased sex drive.

“The body can’t hold up against the overload caused by the dizzying pace of today’s corporate world, and the results make themselves felt sooner or later,” diagnoses Gilberto Ururahy, Medical Director of Med-Rio Check-up, and a Construtora Norberto Odebrecht doctor for 29 years. He points out that the rapidly changing business environment and the need for professionals to adapt to those changes are the main causes of the chronic epidemic of stress the survey has identified: “For a body whose structure is made up of genes that date back billions of years, it’s brutally hard to adapt. And the effort to adapt is driving executives to physical and emotional exhaustion.”

To help people understand and overcome the problems of chronic stress, Gilberto Ururahy has teamed up with psychiatrist Éric Albert to write a book titled O Cérebro Emocional - As emoções e o estresse no cotidiano (The Emotional Brain: The emotions and stress of daily life), published by Rocco. They analyze the results of tests involving 20,000 men and 5,000 women in highly responsible jobs and demonstrate that stress is the underlying cause of most modern-day ailments.

According to Gilberto, globalization and the need for professionals to adapt to its demand for the lowest prices, shortest schedules, constant innovation, surpassing goals and getting maximum efficiency are behind the skyrocketing increase in chronic stress. But each individual reacts to it in a different way. “Everyone has a target-organ for stress,” he explains.

Gilberto goes on to say that globalization forces executives to be multi-competent and they have to handle constant travel and jet lag, as well as not having regular times to eat or sleep. The media bombards them with negative information that affects them emotionally. All of this has reset the human biological clock and led to a more depressed society. “The most widely sold drugs on the world market today are antidepressants,” says Gilberto.

Is it really possible to eliminate stress from modern life, or will it become yet another routine concern for executives to deal with? Gilberto says people should focus on prevention and take care of themselves. But how? By practicing what he calls the “three pillars of good health.” First, don’t exhaust your “health capital” with poor nutrition and bad habits, like smoking, and keep up a lifestyle that is tailored to your body’s needs. “That isn’t hard to do,” he observes. Second, engage in regular physical activity. “That isn’t hard either; all you need is a pair of sneakers and some shorts.” Third, get a good night’s sleep. “That will be a natural result of your other new habits.”

What is most important, in Gilberto’s view, is undertaking a commitment to starting a new life. Preferably on Monday. This means adopting the three pillars of good health as the basis for developing a healthy emotional life: “Laughter is good for you, having friends is essential, and family life is always a tremendous pleasure.”