Failing to adapt makes us complicit in our own stress
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I love the song Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots. Sure it’s catchy but it transcends entertainment because it strikes a nerve.
Wish we could turn back time
To the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep
But now we're stressed out
Work related stress. No one’s immune to it.
It’s been on my mind lately. Do we have any control over it? Or are we simply victims of incoming meeting requests, emails and phone calls?
A common response to our ever more complex, connected and consequently stressful work environments is resignation.
Sometimes resignation letters but other times just an internal resignation to a life of corporate misery.
But the common approach is not the best approach.
We could respond by adapting. We could invest in ourselves and learn new skills that allow us to flourish. Like how to say no, how to manage email better or how to prioritize.
Could I push that meeting out a week?
Do I really need to respond to every email?
Could I ignore some?
Could I reply later?
If you fail to adapt you become complicit in your own stress. We begin by acknowledging that in some ways we co-create our own stress.
A sailor doesn’t resign herself to changing wind conditions. She changes tack. We can do the same and learn to navigate life better.
It’s been on my mind lately. Do we have any control over it? Or are we simply victims of incoming meeting requests, emails and phone calls?
A common response to our ever more complex, connected and consequently stressful work environments is resignation.
Sometimes resignation letters but other times just an internal resignation to a life of corporate misery.
But the common approach is not the best approach.
We could respond by adapting. We could invest in ourselves and learn new skills that allow us to flourish. Like how to say no, how to manage email better or how to prioritize.
Could I push that meeting out a week?
Do I really need to respond to every email?
Could I ignore some?
Could I reply later?
If you fail to adapt you become complicit in your own stress. We begin by acknowledging that in some ways we co-create our own stress.
A sailor doesn’t resign herself to changing wind conditions. She changes tack. We can do the same and learn to navigate life better.