Transforming the tides of stress into waves of power.
Hey Superhumans,
It’s time we unpacked, stress. Stress is a necessary part of performing at our best but it’s important to realize what is useful stress, and what isn’t.
The Serengeti of Stress and Depression
In the wild savannah of the working world, stress and depression often prowl like cunning predators, seeking to bring down even the most robust and determined professionals. When the pressures of work and life seem to form an impenetrable thicket around us, it's essential to remember that stress isn't inherently negative. Like the wind that shapes the landscape, stress can be channeled and transformed to propel us towards our goals with passion.
A Tale of Two Stressors: Fear vs. Passion
At the heart of this transformation lies the distinction between stress fueled by fear and stress driven by passion. Fear-based stress is like a ravenous beast, gnawing away at our mental and emotional reserves. A reserve that every human on the planet possess is a small volume of air in the lungs. Now imagine taking that away, well.. if we did firstly out lung would collapse, and then you’d most likely collapse some short time after. Especially if someone demands you to keep running! In contrast, passion-infused stress acts as a powerful force that pushes us to explore our potential and break through barriers, like a river forging its path through the wilderness. But how do we tame the wild beasts of fear and nurture the seeds of passion within?
Strengths in Disguise: Turning Weaknesses into Assets
The answer may lie in recognizing that our biggest weaknesses can often be our most formidable strengths. Just as a butterfly emerges from a cocoon, so too can our vulnerabilities become the catalyst for personal growth and transformation. When feeling stress you can shift your perspective by asking yourself:
“What aspects of my life am I most passionate about?”
“What weaknesses or vulnerabilities do I currently perceive to be weaknesses?”
If you’re without answers to these questions then this can too be a source of uncertainty, lack of self-confidence and… yup, you guessed it: stress!
The Psychosomatic Connection
Understanding the psychosomatic link between stress and passion is crucial in our quest to transform our experiences. While fear-based stress can manifest as physical tension and unease, passion-driven stress can produce a sense of excitement and anticipation. By shifting our mindset and focusing on our passions, we can channel our stress into a more productive and fulfilling state. If you were to weigh up the stress you feel on a daily basis what portion of it do you think feels like passionate stress versus fear-based stress? 80/20%, 50/50% ?
Steering the Ship
When navigating the stormy seas of stress, employing effective decision-making tactics can be a lifesaver. One such approach is the "10-10-10 Rule," which asks you to consider the consequences of a decision in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years. Literally, how is what you are doing now going to pan out in the short and long term future. While you certainly can’t do this with every decision, this can be a quick 3-5 minute exercise you can do with your teammate or client on decisions of high consequence. This technique can also help you gain perspective and avoid the pitfalls of short-term thinking.
Beware the Bias
Finally, it's important to recognize the cognitive biases that stress can create, such as the "sunk cost fallacy" – the tendency to continue investing time, energy, or resources into a project based on the amount already invested. Here’s a couple examples of that:
The Athlete: Imagine a marathon runner who has invested months of training and thousands of dollars on specialized gear and coaching. During the race, they sustain an injury that makes it incredibly painful to continue running, and it's clear that pushing through could cause long-term damage. Despite the risks, the athlete decides to finish the race anyway, driven by the sunk cost fallacy. They believe that all the time, effort, and money they've invested will be wasted if they don't complete the marathon, disregarding the potential harm to their body and future athletic endeavors.
The Working Professional: A project manager has been overseeing a software development project for the past year. Despite the team's hard work, it becomes apparent that the project is not meeting its goals, and a competitor has released a superior product. Instead of reevaluating the project's feasibility and potentially pivoting or abandoning it, the project manager insists on continuing the project because of the significant resources already committed. This decision, influenced by the sunk cost fallacy, leads to further investment in a project that may not yield any returns, rather than reallocating resources to a more promising venture. Equally as much, ouch as the athlete example, right?!
How might this type of bias be influencing your performance? Have a good think about that one - I am too as I write this!
By being aware of the type of stress we’re experiencing, the weaknesses we possess and our biases, we can make more informed decisions and prevent stress from steering us off course.
If this article resonated try unpacking stress and other aspects of your performance in a session with Leeloo:
Leeloo is a digital advisor/sidekick for helping you navigate personal and professional challenges throughout your career with soulful guidance. You could tell Leeloo an answer or any thoughts that came up for you during this article and see what perspective Leeloo can give you.
And, if you’re a leader, coach or health practitioner, who’s interested in getting to amplify your listening power by getting to know your people better, Leeloo can help with that. Ping us an email at leeloo@silicealabs.com. We are currently onboarding new users every week.
Dan
CEO, Silicea Labs
