Employees function to help businesses realize their missions. Similarly, putting stress to work for you can propel personal and professional growth toward achieving purpose and mission. Just as it is important to know employees, their strengths, and their best possible contribution, one must understand stress, its nature, and how it influences performance.

Much like a permanent employee, stress is a continuing presence in your life. Once it arrives, it doesn’t resign or get reassigned; instead, it is an ever-present part of your daily routine and overall functioning. Therefore, managing stress effectively is crucial if it is to contribute to achieving your goals and enhancing productivity.

The Stress Confessional

When engaging others about their well-being, I often hear initial responses of “Good” or even “Great!” However, as conversations deepen, confessions of stress begin to surface. Common themes often include feelings of being over-scheduled, overwhelmed, or inadequate. Many express concerns over life’s demands—whether related to work, parenting, relationships, or personal achievements. While you may often portray yourself positively, the ever-present stress is having its effect on your quality of life and overall effectiveness in achieving your purpose and mission.

The Stress Reaction and Its Sources

Stress is a natural response to life’s pressures, strains, and demands.  It encompasses many responses to external pressures, termed ‘stressors.’

You experience stress when a real or perceived threat or external pressure (the stressor) arises for you (the stressed). Outside your consciousness, your brain generates the physiological and psychological stress reactions needed for you to fight, run, or hide.  Your first conscious realization of what your brain has done are symptoms of emotions, tension, rapid heart rate, and more.  Most of this process takes place in microseconds. Once you are conscious of stress, you can decide what to do about it – let it run its course (fight, run, hide) or redirect your behavior.

Many stressors are beyond our control, such as personal crises or loss. However, some are manageable because we have partial or full control over the stressor.  Under partial control may be relational issues and some physiological and psychological stressors, such as worry. Under full control can be beliefs, expectations, estimation of threat, overestimation of capacity, and more. Understanding which stresses are under your control can empower you to make informed choices that enhance your well-being.

A certain level of stress is necessary to motivate us, drive relationships, and foster growth. However, too much stress can lead to burnout and negative consequences on our physical and psychological well-being. Recognizing the balance between beneficial and detrimental stress is essential for managing stress and maintaining well-being.

Stress can be a powerful motivator during significant life challenges. Consider instances where you’ve experienced stress while taking a test, delivering a presentation, or navigating demanding situations. This stress is your body’s natural response to challenges and is essential for success. The key is acknowledging and managing this stress effectively to harness it for growth and performance.

Several worldwide sources of stress can impact daily life. These range from environmental factors—like overcrowding and noise—to organizational pressures and personal relationships. In the United States, top stressors include job pressure, financial struggles, health issues, relationship dynamics, the overwhelming presence of media, and sleep deprivation.  Encounters with the unexpected and unfamiliar will regularly generate stress.

Channeling Stress

Ultimately, how we respond to stress defines its impact on our lives. You can choose whether to be a victim of stress or a proactive, responsible manager. This choice will determine whether stress impedes your progress or propels you toward achieving your goals. While you will initially react to stress, you can train yourself to respond rationally, utilizing your brain’s executive functions for problem-solving.

In conclusion, recognizing stress as an integral part of the human experience enables better management. By understanding its sources and effects, you can put stress to work, channeling it as a powerful tool for growth and achievement, transforming it from a burden into a catalyst for success.

In future episodes, we’ll explore how practically to put stress to work.  Or, if you want to skip ahead, you can click here to purchase my book, “Put Stress to Work: Turning Headaches into Advantages.”