How To Use Stress To Your Advantage

ByMatthew

This week’s external resource is from a favorite author/researcher: Heidi Grant Halvorson. A link to her interesting and useful article is below – after I blather on a bit:

***

So many people believe that 1) they are too stressed and 2) that stress is bad for you. They are right and wrong, sort of…

They are right in that they are, in practical terms, overly stressed. They are wrong – in a qualified way – that stress is bad.

In practice, the problem people have with stress is that they misunderstand it and they mis-use it.

Stressors are – by and large – opportunities for growth, in two important ways:

1) when something occurs that is “stressful” it is an opportunity to examine the event/obligation/stimulus and it’s presence in your life. If it’s debilitating or unnecessary, find a way to eliminate it, or the possibility of it from your life. At the very least, take real (effective) steps to reduce its likelihood to near zero.

2) stress can be an opportunity to grow strong, wiser and develop skills and talents. Like lifting weights, or practicing yoga or meditating, we need to work a muscle – of whatever sort – to make it stronger.

So, to recap my thoughts before I give you the link: if something stresses you out, either eliminate it or work with it.

Some stress is okay.

No stress is not okay.

Heavy, chronic, stress is debilitating.

***

Here’s the Halvorson article.

Similar Posts

  • The Implications of Thoughts

    ByMatthew

    As I was preparing my coffee just a minute ago I had a realization: thoughts have consequences. Everyone can identify with the idea that actions have consequences, but thoughts? Yes, I believe so. Implementing this, effectively, does require a high level of awareness. We spend so much time with, and in, our thoughts that we ought to…

  • How To Be Successful

    ByMatthew

    “Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.” – David Frost I’m writing this post because I needed to hear it. Sometimes I wonder if I am walking the right path, as a coach. I wonder if the challenges of self-employment are worth…

  • Hope is a Great Tactic

    ByMatthew

    Hope isn’t a strategy, but it is an awfully good tactic. – Seth Godin The above is from a short, but sweet, blog post. So many people think that because most of the things that are achieved are small, that small goals are the only ones that are realistic – the only ones worth pursuing. Wrong. That’s…

  • Find Out What’s Happening

    ByMatthew

    Whenever something isn’t ideal it’s an opportunity to learn, and grow. When you’re willing to inquire, to dive deep, you will solve long-standing problems, heal old wounds and spark growth. But you have to be willing to pause and ask: “What’s really going on here?” For example, when someone is late, why are they late?…

  • You. Must. Start.

    ByMatthew

    You don’t have to be great to start. But you have to start to be great. – Zig Ziglar Zig’s down-home (often ‘aww-shucks’) words are f’ing genius. So often he can say in a sentence (and not a long one at that) what others take paragraphs or pages to say. His words above are your…