Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? You’re not alone. But what if you could harness that stress to work for you, rather than against you? Here’s how.
Short-term, Achievable Goals
When life gets overwhelming, start small. Break down those daunting tasks into bite-sized actions. As you complete these tasks, your brain releases dopamine, which not only elevates your mood but also makes you feel more in control. Small accomplishments can counterbalance feelings of being overwhelmed, helping you regain your footing.
Align with Energy and Agitation Circuits
Understand that stress activates your body’s norepinephrine system, making you feel both energized and agitated. When you set and achieve small goals, you’re essentially aligning your focus system with your body’s natural energy and agitation circuits. This turns what could be paralyzing stress into an engine for productive activities.
Self-Regulation Techniques
While it might not be obvious, managing stress effectively involves techniques like deep breathing or mindfulness. Incorporating these into your routine helps you calm your system, making you more capable of taking those vital small steps toward your bigger goals.
Incremental Progress
Focusing on incremental progress is key. Even if your ultimate objective feels like a mountain right now, these small tasks act like individual steps leading you up that mountain. Each step creates a snowball effect; the more steps you take, the more competent and capable you feel, thereby reducing stress.
Cognitive Reappraisal
Lastly, it’s time for a mindset shift. Don’t see stress as an obstacle but as a challenge you’re fully equipped to meet. Reframe stress as a tool for productivity. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference that makes.
In summary, the secret to effective stress management lies in aligning your body’s neurochemical responses with actionable steps that pave the way for both immediate and long-term victories. By understanding the role of dopamine and norepinephrine in your stress and focus mechanisms, you can turn stress from a foe into a friend. Small wins add up, and before you know it, you’ll be in control again.
If stress is a problem for you, you might like to take this free and confidential simple inner struggles self-assessment to get some measure of how much it is affecting you.
Here is the URL for this self-assessment:
https://stresstest.executivebreakthrough.com/reg
I’m not sure how long that I will be able to leave this this self-assessment up there, so check it out while you can.
Please do not hesitate to get back to me if you would like to discuss the results of your self-assessment in more detail, or any other issues that are troubling you at this time.
Notes for this post created from a podcast by Prof. Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist “Do this for 7 days! The Billion Dollar Daily Routine” at:
https://youtu.be/1GcoMNqoZpo?si=KAf2hP3VhHRNaFLV
#feelingstuck #selfdoubt #worry #stress #anxiety #selfconfidence #overwhelm #procrastination #burnout
