Last week we talked about the personal, business and career costs of stress.
But if it’s so costly, why is a stressful way of living and working so hard to change?
Well…whenever we habitually do or feel something we know it would be difficult but valuable to change, it’s because there’s some ‘benefit’ to staying the same that makes it addictive.
For instance, many smokers believe that smoking helps them relax even if, at the same time, they’re putting more physical stress on their bodies!
So what are some of the conscious and unconscious costly benefits from stress that some people experience? Here are seven of them. Do you recognise any of them in yourself or others?
- Stress may help us appear important.
After all, anyone as stressed as we are must be working very hard and so we’re probably doing something vital. While anyone who is relaxed is probably not stretching themselves enough. - Stress could let us maintain personal distance and avoid intimacy.
Anyone as busy as we are certainly can’t be expected to spend quality time with friends, family, partners, clients and colleagues. - Sometimes stress helps us avoid responsibilities and tasks.
Obviously we’re too stressed to be given any more work. But…what interesting projects and opportunities are we missing out on? - Stress gives us an adrenalin rush.
It’s possible to get addicted to your own adrenaline. - Stress could help us avoid success.
Yes, some people actually fear success and all they imagine might come with it. Stress can keep your achievement level low enough that success won’t ever be a threat. - Some people find stress ‘allows’ them to keep their authoritarian communication style.
“Just do what I say!” mode is often seen as allowable under crisis conditions. A permanent air of crisis can be used to justify a dictatorial style all the time. But…what happens to the quality of our working and personal relationships? - Stress can be associated with success
If we’ve experienced a lot of stress on our journey to success, we believe that, somehow, stress was an important ingredient in our success formula. If we’re not worried, we’ve probably missed something.
So what can we do to break this addiction and go from stress to healthy success?
The short answer is to find more healthy and sustainable ways to achieve the benefits we get from stress.
If you’d like help with achieving that I’m offering a free From Stress to Success Discovery Session. I have only two slots available. We’ll discuss your stress levels in your business, career or personal life. We’ll uncover hidden barriers to eliminating stress. We’ll get clear on how you can manage or elimate your stress. You’ll go away feeling positive, excited and certain about your next steps. If you would like to apply for a session, just email me: madeleine@growu.co.uk
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