Decoding Stress

Well, stress is such a popular word today. Isn’t it.

Everyone is talking about it. We love having it. We brag about it. We challenge others that we have it more than them. We think we are doing an incredible job living with it.

Ok.

Good for you.

If you like it so much, I wish you more of it.

But if you want to do away with it, here’s something for you.

I think we’ve taken stress out of context and then applied almost everything wrong to deal with it.

We need to first understand the source of stress, and then deal with it accordingly.

Stress can be caused because of 1 possible reason:

Wanting to do two things at the same time…

So…

You have to do the job (to feed your family) BUT you don’t want to do the job because you are not enjoying it.

You have to give this presentation (to get noticed) BUT you don’t want to give presentation because you think you suck at it.

Let me classify stress into 2 categories now.

1. Stress emerges when you have to do a job that you don’t like/enjoy doing it.
2. Stress emerges when you have to do a job that you are not completely capable of doing it.

In the first category, solution is simple:

• If you don’t like/enjoy the job at hand, leave it and take up the job you enjoy doing…
• And if you think it’s not possible or practical, then you know what to do… shut up and do the job with grace and responsibility as it’s feeding your family.

In the second category, solution demands effort.

If you are not capable / lack competency, invest yourself in building your capability. Taking stress will only make the situation worst. And when I say building capability, it means a wide range of capabilities… it can be about mastering a skill, developing a relationship, etc.

I know you may find this piece of advice as not practical or insensitive… but you know what… give me an alternate.

There is no way forward without taking the responsibility.

You keep blaming everyone and everything around you… it won’t help.

Stress is a choice. Awesomeness is also a choice.

Choose wisely.

Note: In last 6 months, I’ve had extensive engagement with clients towards wellbeing, decoding stress and inner management. I am glad, companies are getting more empathetic about growing mental health concerns!