Are You Addicted To Stress?

You know the situation.

It seems like things just keep coming. One after another after another. It’s hard to deal with. How could anyone deal with this?

And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stops. At least for a bit.

Silence.

Relief, even.

But then...

Discomfort.

You instinctively check your phone, your texts, your email, your social media.

You’ve been saying for weeks that you couldn’t wait for a break. But now that you have one, it almost feels like withdrawal. You can’t even enjoy the break you said you craved!

What’s going on?

What Happens Under Stress

When humans are in a stressful situation, a special cocktail of chemicals like cortisol and adrenaline are released into the bloodstream.

These chemicals create urgency and focus.

In optimal amounts they feel good. There is a “get shit done” modality that kicks in here. As much as we feel like we are in emergency mode (which in a sense we are), we also feel very, very alive.

When the situation goes away, our bodies want to keep that aliveness going.

In a very real sense, that sense of looking for something else, for some other aspect of the emergency, is like another phenomenon.

Withdrawal.

Just like other addictions you might be familiar with.

Stress Brings Some Very Good Things

Our capacity and focus under stress can be very good things.

IF we have very defined things to do, stress can help us accomplish more of these things in less time.

Like a well-timed cup of coffee, stress can give us the jolt we need.

This is one reason why procrastination can have such a powerful effect.

As a former law colleague of mine told me, “Give me some coffee and an unreasonable deadline and I can do anything.”

That’s what stress can do for us.

The Downsides Of Stress

Unfortunately, stress can also bring some very bad things.

The human body is not designed to be under stress, to be in fight-or-flight mode, for very long. Thousands of years ago, hunters would track game for a day or two, then face significant stress in the moments leading up to the kill.

They would drag the kill back to camp, and, for days or weeks, rest and eat.

Full stress mode was at most 5 to 10 percent of the time.

Thousands of years later, we have changed, but our bodies have not. Our stresses are now not only self-inflicted, but almost constant. Our environment, our mental outlook on the world and our place in it, has evolved. We have not

Almost every chronic condition that humans face is at least related to and often primarily caused by stress.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, type 2 diabetes, gastric reflux, IBS, just to name a few.

But the downsides are not just physical.

Remember that stress produces a narrowing of focus. Any resources that are not required are taken off line.

This includes physical processes like digestion, but also things that require the right hemisphere of the brain.

Emotional regulation, empathic communication, holistic thinking.

Your ability to manage your people and see your long-term strategy? Essentially nonexistent.

Empathy? Compassion? Gone.

Your Business Needs You At Your Best

“Best,” however, depends on the needs of the situation.

When you are in task mode, “best” may mean stressed, caffeinated, alive.

But when you are connecting with your employees, your customers, your investors, “best” requires a wholly different skill set.

Calm, clear, present.

Empathy, intuition, holistic thinking.

All of these things are more accessible if you feel less stress.

If you are able to slow down.

If you are able to tune into the quieter voices in you that, I assure you, are there and available and essential.

The Withdrawal Of Slowing Down

The hardest step is to step away.

To get into the habit of regularly slowing down. To get away from the urge to be constantly doing.

For some people, slowing down can be a regular meditation practice. Or it can be a walk in nature or listening to relaxing music.

For some people, slowing down can look like speeding up. A hard run or workout.

The key is to slow down your mind.

To allow the chemicals, and your frantic thinking, to dissipate.

It can feel incredibly uncomfortable.

But I assure you, over time, it is transformational. And essential to the long term sustainability of your business, and yourself.

Want To Go Deeper?

Does any of this resonate with you?

If so, reach out to me and I’ll send you a special video that goes even deeper.

More and more founders like you are coming out of the spiritual closet and seeing their work as a vital personal journey to both abundance and meaning.

This is what I write about. For founders, for original thinkers, no matter where they are in their transformation.

The world needs YOU, in all your brilliance and imperfection.

If you are a founder wanting to scale and sell your company, there are three shifts in identity that can help you do so with twice the impact and half the stress. Take a look at this video.

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