"You know the feeling: You're replying to emails, navigating open tabs, responding to direct messages, when suddenly, it happens-your standing weekly 2 p.m. gets canceled abruptly. "Giving everyone 30 minutes back today," the organizer says. A rush courses through your nervous system: You're free. Nothing about this recurring meeting is particularly onerous or necessarily stressful. And yet, at this moment, you feel like a burden has been lifted. Maybe you even audibly sigh in relief."
"Once it activates your fight-or-flight system, the brain releases cortisol, which often "lingers after a threat so that we remember how to recognize it and respond for the future," Charles Malveaux says. So, weekly catch-ups, as harmless and banal as they may be, could actually activate "an elevated sense of threat" tied to anxieties around "being on time, or having to show up and present a certain way in a meeting," she adds."
Cancellation of a standing meeting often produces an immediate rush of relief as the perceived obligation disappears and reclaimed time restores a sense of freedom. Many people feel overextended by jobs, family, and social obligations, making workplace meetings another anticipated demand. Removal of that obligation reduces stress by eliminating the responsibility or potential need to say no. The amygdala anticipates threats and can elevate anxiety around punctuality, presentation, or being evaluated in meetings. Activation of fight-or-flight releases cortisol, which can linger to reinforce threat recognition. Neutralizing a scheduled meeting diminishes the stress response and produces a palpable sense of release and ease.
Read at Fast Company
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