I finally figured out how to put words to something I’ve known for years:
Busyness is not the cause of your stress.
In fact, you’re no more or less busy than anyone else. Every person on this planet will spend every moment of their lives… alive. And at any moment, each of us is doing something. In other words, we’re all equally busy doing whatever it is that we’re doing right now.
And how do I know that busyness isn’t what causes stress? Consider the opposite of stress (courtesy of a thesaurus):
- assurance
- calmness
- composure
- confidence
- peace
- security
Do you notice what’s not on this list? Boredom. If stress were caused by busyness, then de-stressing would look like being less busy (bored). But, as I pointed out, you cannot be more or less busy because you only have this one moment to work with.
So where does stress come from?
Stress comes from spending our lives doing things we wish we weren’t doing. Be careful, I am not saying that the only way to remove stress is to spend more time having fun (though that would help). I’m saying that the best way to remove stress is to spend more time doing things that align with your priorities and values.
Take a deep breath
If you feel stress, then you’re mis-committed (many people use “over-committed”, which is just one flavor of mis-commitment). You’ve committed to responsibilities and outcomes that don’t align with your values. One of two things needs to change: your commitments or your values.
Right now, March 2018, we’re offering a workshop that will help you do just that. It’s called Midterm Rehab. If you’re looking for a quick way to get back in control TODAY, you should visit www.intentionalacademy.com or email rehab@intentionalacademy.com
