Have you ever found yourself describing and identifying your life and yourself with stress? “My life is stressful!” “My work is stressful!” “I feel so stressed!” Perhaps you find these words ringing true. Maybe you’ve even spoken these very sentences aloud. Stress is something everyone has experienced and can relate to.
According to The Centre For Studies On Human Stress, chronic stress is “stress resulting from repeated exposure to situations that lead to the release of stress hormones.” In other words, chronic stress isn’t the result of an isolated moment or situation, but the consequence of a pattern of life choices.
Chronic stress can be triggered by poor health habits, such as not eating properly, exercising or getting enough sleep. It can also be the result of major life changes, financial troubles, or relationship difficulties. Whatever the cause, chronic stress has a significant impact on a person’s life.
Untreated chronic stress doesn’t simply make life a little more difficult, but actually changes the structure and function of a person’s brain. In a state of constant stress, your ability to process information, reason, and make decisions is impaired.
In a research study conducted by The Decision Lab, researchers studying the impact of chronic stress discovered structural changes in a person’s brain and “that the neural networks which govern decision-making are activated differently under chronic stress.”
The decision-making ability for individuals living in a state of constant stress is impaired.
In a normal state, decisions made by most individuals are goal-oriented, meaning they have something that they want to accomplish so they create a logical action plan and make decisions that will move them towards their goals.
In contrast, those living in a state of chronic stress do not make goal-oriented decisions, but rather act out of habit. They default into doing what they’ve always done, whether or not those actions are productive.
According to a study conducted by psychologists, Anthony J. Porcelli, and Mauricio R. Delgado, “Data suggests that a goal-directed to habit-based shift may possibly become a persistent change under chronic stress.” As long as chronic stress is left untreated, goal-directed decision making will become increasingly more difficult.
Habitual decision making will inevitably stall progress towards any goal. Individuals living in a state of constant (chronic stress) are less likely and less able to make informed goal-oriented decisions. Productivity will decrease and individuals will find themselves “going through the motions” of life, rather than actively pursuing their goals or building their dreams.
“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
– Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne
Understanding and addressing stress matters, especially when you are in the process of making major changes in your business or career.
Stress has the debilitating effect of freezing progress towards goals and even makes it difficult for people to articulate and define their own goals. It is extremely hard to identify where you would like to see yourself in the future if you are struggling to make it through each day.
When it comes to goal achievement and productivity, establishing healthy habits to get control of chronic stress in your life is essential. This begins by identifying the source or cause of your chronic stress.
A good first step is to take a step back, slow down, and give yourself some mental “breathing room” to help you see your situation from a different perspective. To help you slow down – even if for a few minutes – we’re giving you a page from the Changemaker Coloring book.
Download your page HERE.
