The Most Effective Way To Deal With Stress

We are sophisticated enough now to extract key insights about the internal mechanism driving the upswing in human stress, and become empowered to effectively intervene.

There is general stress and there is workplace stress, but now that we're in a new phase of our social evolution, all these things are connected. So let's look at the facts. Then we'll dive deeper into the real source of stress.

The Stress in America Survey 2022?statistics for stress in general:

• 81% of Americans who participated in the poll were stressed out due to Supply Chain issues;
• 87% Americans are stressed due to the rising inflation in the country, up from 59% in August 2021 and 58% in June 2021.
• 80% Americans are tensed and stressed about possible Russian cyberattacks or nuclear threats to the US;
• 69% Americans fear that a World War III could break out and we are in the genesis phase of it;
• and 65% of Americans responded that they were stressed about money and the economy.

Highlights of workplace stress statistics from Zippia.com:

• 83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress, with 25% saying their job is the number one stressor in their lives.
• About?one million Americans?miss work each day because of stress.
• 76% of US workers?report that workplace stress affects their personal relationships.
• Depression-induced absenteeism costs US businesses?$51 billion?a year, as well as an additional?$26 billion?in treatment costs.
• Middle-aged participants had a?27% increase?in the belief that their financial status would be affected by stress in the 2010s compared to the 1990s.
• More than?50% of workers?are not engaged at work as a result of stress, leading to a loss of productivity.
• Companies spend around?75% of a worker’s annual salary?to cover lost productivity or to replace workers.
• The main causes of workplace stress are workload (39% of workers), interpersonal issues (31%), juggling work and personal life (19%), and job?security?(6%).

Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel?

This frightening phenomenon of escalating stress that we are experiencing today is clearly impacting workers' health and well-being, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. We can extract key insights about the internal mechanism driving the increasing stress everywhere, and by understanding the process at work, we can learn to override it.

The Origin of Stress: The Human Ego

The origin of stress along with all the ills and misfortunes that rule our lives, can be traced back to the ego, the part of human nature that constantly pushes us to achieve the unattainable.

With everyone beating their way up the same mountain, we are forced to build our success atop the failures of others. As a result of the constant pressure of this ruthless competition, we live under permanent stress.

So now the time has come to become familiar with our nature. We were designed to want to receive pleasure, and a sensation of calmness and satisfaction comes over us when pleasure is received. But in our time our desire for pleasure is constantly growing, and along with it, the demand for fulfillment which then also multiplies the efforts we need to exert to achieve our goals. This is the process driving the trend that's been making our life increasingly stressful over the years.

Today we are bombarded by external pressures from the media, the Internet, from all aspects of the environment that dictate the standards we are expected to meet: travel to fancy or exotic places, achieving top professional success, respect and admiration from our peers. We are conditioned to excel at this thing called life, which requires standing out from the crowd at any cost. With everyone beating their way up the same mountain, we are forced to build our success atop the failures of others. As a result of the constant pressure of this ruthless competition, we live under permanent stress.

Living as we do in a society that is completely controlled by egoism, we are unable to escape from this pressure even by closing our eyes or going far away somewhere. Stress haunts us no matter what we do to escape.?Neither antidepressants nor narcotics, so prevalent in today’s society, can erase the emotional pain.

The Purpose of Stress in Our Lives

Stress serves the purpose of bringing us to awareness of our egoistic nature and its negative consequences that affect us on many levels. Ultimately, we are destined to reach disillusionment and to recognize our situation as hopeless, to understand that we must reassess our values and find a better path than the traditional rat race. Then we will urgently search for a different route and taste a new type of pleasure in a completely different place.

This space of lasting pleasure that is truly attainable and sustainable is hidden in our environment. This is the fertile field where we can build relationships that will nurture us while we also nourish others, creating a magnetic positive ambience that illuminates our surroundings, and radiates outward to other circles.

How Creating The Right Environment Can Reduce Stress

In an environment that values good connection over division, we will still compete to receive fulfillment, but in a whole new way. People who bring the greatest benefit to others will be ranked as the most successful. We'll discover what we already know, how pleasure from lifting others is more gratifying than filling ourselves, and does not lead to stress. In fact, the more we give, the more pleasure we receive. Learning to give - and I'm mainly talking about giving from the heart, not necessarily our bank accounts - will make our lives longer, more comfortable, safer, and more pleasant. An environment where we all support one another and succeed as a group will bring balance and stability to our lives. When this happens, we will also begin to thrive inside the integral connection between us and nature. We will step into a whole new world and feel the next level of our qualitative evolution where we have far more control our lives.