Stress - Change Or Die - Grow Or Wither

The biggest underpinning issue leaders-in-waiting show up with is stress.

The most common insight they gain is that they are unaware of how much they're carrying.

How can you break stress down and know what action to take?

To make the breakdown easy (no pun intended!) I use a process with clients so that they can take care of stress proactively and lighten their day-to-day load.

1. NOTE Two Types Of Stress - Short- and long-term stressors

Short-Term = deadlines, relationships, budgets, life-juggling, overthinking...

Long-Term = life stress that happens TO us that we can't control = death, illness, job loss...

Reflect - What's your sense of how much stress you might be carrying?

2. AUDIT Your Stressors - Identify what stresses you are under short- and long-term

Short-Term - List anything that's bothering you including small tasks you've put off doing.

Long-Term - Complete the Holmes & Rahe Stress Scale and calculate your stress score.

Reflect - On what you know now and how you feel, then decide what you need.

3. TAKE ACTION - Stress yields to taking any action to address it. Ignoring it lets it mount up

Short-Term - Knock ONE thing you've been dodging off your list. Then treat yourself.

Long-Term - Face the stress and get what you need - Help? Counselling? Downtime?

Reflect - In both cases, the hormone release from addressing stress helps your brain to recognise that taking action in the face of stress FEELS better. This is step 1 in building a healthier habit.

4. MEASURE THE BENEFIT - Proactive stress management delivers better results.

Notice how when you bring less stress to the table the people around you do better.

Notice how better business results and relationships follow.

Take time to point it out and share your approach with others...create a ripple effect.

And see your career accelerate and your life get that little bit easier day-to-day.

Why Does Any Of This Matter?

It is easy to put long-term stress aside by telling ourselves we just 'have to get through it', 'it's life' etc. This is faulty thinking and lies at the core of overwork and burnout.

This is the WORST way to 'cope'. Yes, we all have to work through grief, trauma, even the small stresses, but what protects your mind, body, mental, and physical health is to be clear with yourself on what stresses you're carrying.

The most competent, fastest-tracking, high performers I've ever met have ALL struggled to face stress head-on. Their blueprint for success is usually to push through. This happens at cost until they learn the lesson they can't push through stress forever.

The healthiest, most productive leaders I know have learned to be clear with themselves about the stress they're carrying and proactively find ways to lighten the load as they go.

Stress will haunt you until you handle it.

...and if you don't your body will eventually take over and burn you out until you do.

Want more tools like this - follow along, subscribe and share.