What Is Stress and Its Impact
We all experience stress. It’s the feeling we get when things feel overwhelming, out of control, or too much to handle. Maybe it’s a busy day at work or school, a disagreement with a friend or co-worker, worries about the future, politics, or events around the world. Stress isn’t just in our heads. It affects our whole bodies, making it hard to think clearly, sleep well, or even enjoy the things we usually love.
Here’s the thing: we can’t just “think” our way out of stress. When people are in a negative emotional space, their brains are focused on problems, and finding solutions is hard. This is where saboteurs—the negative voices in our heads—show up. These unruly inner critics loudly say, “You can’t handle this,” “You are not good enough,” or “Shame on you, you should do better.” These negative thoughts elevate stress, keeping us in a cycle of worry and frustration that diminishes our well-being, distracts performance, and strains relationships.
Navigate Stress By Building Mental Fitness
There is good news. You can learn to “disarm” these saboteurs and navigate stress in a healthy way for your lifetime. Here are three steps to practice today. The more you practice, the more you build your mental fitness.
- Start with noticing when you feel stressed or stuck in negative thinking. When you notice it, celebrate it. Say to yourself with a smile, “Wow, I caught you negative thinking and I won’t let you hold me back now.” This interruption and celebration is a first step toward feeling better.
- Next, shift your brain into its sage channel. This is the part of the brain where calm, creativity, and problem-solving happen. One way to charge up your sage channel is to do an easy centering exercise for at least 10 seconds, the time it takes for three normal breaths. Close your eyes if you can. As you breathe, bring all of your attention to the activity of inhaling and exhaling. It is natural for your mind to wander. Gently bring it back to focusing on your breathing. The focused attention on your breath, away from thinking, gives your brain the reset it needs to recharge.
- Now, use your creative power to design a small step you feel good (and not stressed) about taking. Ask yourself and answer these two questions: 1) What is 10% right (a little bit good) about my situation? 2) What next step could this perspective lead me to take? These questions help pivot stress to new opportunities.
Stress will always be a part of life, especially leadership. By noticing it, celebrating your awareness, and using mindset-shifting tools to build mental fitness, you can lead yourself and others to calmness, confidence, and clarity, contributing to a more satisfying and positively impactful day.
More Ideas To Disarm Saboteurs
Subscribe to the Effective Nonprofit Leadership With Less Stress Newsletter and receive a copy of Denice’s eBook Disarming Saboteurs: 6 Mindset Tools for Nonprofit and Association Leadership. https://tinyurl.com/managance
