{"id":2989,"date":"2026-08-13T13:56:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/why-stress-remains-our-most-important-skill\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T18:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T18:02:09","slug":"why-stress-remains-our-most-important-skill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/why-stress-remains-our-most-important-skill\/","title":{"rendered":"Why stress remains our most important skill"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1248px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><style>\n.ohmp-article h2{margin:56px 0 18px!important;line-height:1.2!important;}<br \/>\n.ohmp-article h3{margin:40px 0 14px!important;line-height:1.25!important;}<br \/>\n.ohmp-article > :first-child{margin-top:0!important;}<br \/>\n.ohmp-article p{margin:0 0 20px!important;}<br \/>\n.ohmp-article ul{margin:0 0 20px!important;padding-left:22px!important;}<br \/>\n.ohmp-article li{margin:0 0 8px!important;}<br \/>\n.ohmp-article p:empty,.ohmp-article br{display:none!important;}<br \/>\n.ohmp-article > :last-child{margin-bottom:0!important;}<br \/>\n@media(max-width:640px){<br \/>\n.ohmp-article h2{margin:40px 0 14px!important;}<br \/>\n.ohmp-article h3{margin:30px 0 12px!important;}<br \/>\n}<br \/>\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"ohmp-article\">\n<h2>The human edge in times of uncertainty<\/h2>\n<p>2025 was the year artificial intelligence finally broke through. AI was no longer just a promise, but an everyday reality. With the rise of AI agents, we even began to feel that humans were becoming replaceable.  <\/p>\n<p>And at the same time, something else was happening. Less visible, but just as profound. We saw a decline in critical thinking, a decline in the desire to learn, and a growing tendency to trust what sounds plausible rather than what is true. Not because people are naive, but because our brains are under pressure.   <\/p>\n<p>Stress narrows our focus. Uncertainty speeds up our thinking. And when these two factors combine, we\u2019re quicker to grasp at something to hold onto\u2014even if it\u2019s illusory. Think of the now-infamous Santorini incident: images of hotels with swimming pools where the water was literally flowing uphill. Completely fabricated. Believed by the masses. Not out of stupidity, but out of stress. Fear of missing out or not having enough mental bandwidth to really think critically.       <\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s different today compared to the past is the mix of factors we\u2019re living in: algorithms that amplify polarization, echo chambers that reinforce our existing views, and economic uncertainty that\u2019s closing in. As we head toward 2026, organizations are speaking openly about restructuring. That\u2019s having a ripple effect. Uncertainty creates stress. And stress\u2014if we don\u2019t learn to manage it\u2014undermines precisely what we need most today: collaboration, trust, and meaning.    <\/p>\n<h2>2026: Making Stress Work for us, instead of letting it control us<\/h2>\n<p>Allowing uncertainty to determine who we become comes at a high cost\u2014for mental health, for leadership, and for teams. Our brains seek control through rules, processes, and predictability. That brings peace of mind\u2014or at least the illusion of it. But not everything that matters can be controlled.     <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why, at Oh My People, we\u2019re consciously choosing a different focus in 2026. It\u2019s not about reducing stress to zero\u2014that\u2019s an illusion. It\u2019s about learning to make stress work for us.  <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<em>Making stress work<\/em> &#8221; means:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Learning to recognize tension before it escalates<\/li>\n<li>Having difficult conversations instead of avoiding them<\/li>\n<li>Creating safety without erasing differences<\/li>\n<li>Use stress as a signal, not as an enemy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For us, this is the <em>human edge<\/em>: the ability to remain human under pressure\u2014and to grow stronger precisely because of it.<\/p>\n<h2>An invitation for 2026: reflection<\/h2>\n<p>We&#8217;re not starting this year with grand resolutions. We&#8217;re starting closer to home. Take a moment for this exercise.  <\/p>\n<p>Look back on the past year. When were you at your best? Which moments gave you energy? Write them down in specific terms. What were you doing? Who were you with? What made them meaningful? Find the common thread. What do these moments have in common?        <\/p>\n<p>And ask yourself one honest question: What do you need to excel, especially when you\u2019re under pressure? Not tomorrow. Not someday. But today. Because perhaps the key to 2026 isn\u2019t in reducing stress, but in learning to better cope with what\u2019s already there.    <\/p>\n<p>That is our invitation. And that is what we at Oh My People are consciously choosing to do in 2026: harness the power of stress and stay true to our humanity. Shoulder to shoulder. Especially when it matters most.   <\/p>\n<p>Would you like to start 2026 with greater resilience and the skills to turn stress into a positive force? Explore our training offerings or contact us for guidance tailored to your organization. <\/p>\n<h2>(In)security in the age of AI and fake news<\/h2>\n<p>The impact of AI and fake news is often discussed in terms of technology, ethics, or information quality. Less visible, but more fundamental, is their effect on the human stress response. Psychological and neurobiological research on chronic stress shows that the brain reacts not so much to a single event as to persistent uncertainty.  <\/p>\n<h2>What makes your SME strong can sometimes also make it vulnerable<\/h2>\n<p>What if the biggest risk in the workplace isn&#8217;t burnout, but nobody speaking up anymore?<\/p>\n<p>I see this happen a lot in small businesses. Everything moves quickly, everyone pitches in, and no one really asks, &#8220;Is this actually still manageable?&#8221; There\u2019s a lot of goodwill. A lot of people who get things done. A lot of flexibility.    <\/p>\n<p>And it is precisely that\u2014that strength\u2014that can quietly become a pitfall.<\/p>\n<h2>Growing pains aren&#8217;t a bug; they&#8217;re at the heart of innovation<\/h2>\n<p>Every growing small and medium-sized business knows the feeling: what was second nature yesterday is causing friction today. Roles shift, employees take on new responsibilities, and teams struggle to find their footing. Growth hurts, but that pain isn\u2019t a mistake. It\u2019s part of the plan.   <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling awb-cv-auto\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1248px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2990,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[193],"tags":[280,282],"class_list":["post-2989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-human-centered-ai","tag-stress-resilience"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2989"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3826,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2989\/revisions\/3826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ohmypeople.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}