Optimal Work Daily - Career, Productivity and Entrepreneurship 2051: Is Stress Affecting Your Performance at Work? By Dr. Jenny Brockis on Workplace Wellbeing
May 13, 2026
A clear look at how chronic stress reshapes the brain and undermines memory, decision-making, and emotional control. Practical strategies are explored for lowering cortisol, boosting mental clarity, and protecting long-term cognitive health. Short practices like exercise, meditation, social time, and laughter get attention as ways to recover and perform better.
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Schedule Recovery Even If You Thrive Under Pressure
- If you thrive under pressure, still schedule sufficient rest and recovery to avoid chronic harm.
- Dr. Jenny Brockis compares high performers to athletes who need practice, hard work, and rest between efforts.
Forgetfulness And Irritability Signal Rising Stress
- Early signs of damaging stress include forgetfulness and irritability before more serious decline.
- Dr. Jenny Brockis points to misplaced keys and snapping at colleagues as practical red flags to reassess stress.
Stress Reduces Neurogenesis Through BDNF Loss
- High cortisol reduces BDNF and neurogenesis while increasing myelinating glial cells, effectively shrinking brain volume.
- Dr. Jenny Brockis summarizes this as 'honey, I shrunk my brain with stress' to emphasize the biological mechanism.