It's probably trite to suggest that stress today is an outcome of the inability to withstand sustained excessive pressure and an accelerating rate of change. The ability to bounce back - after a day, a week, or longer diminishes. The focus on overcoming stress is being put into trying to eliminate the causes of stress - a pretty much impossible task. You no sooner get rid of one problem than another arises.
I believe the answer lies in accepting the fact that stress is likely to be always there, in one form or another. We need to find ways not just of coping with stress but being able to thrive and be proactive while under stress.
I further believe that we have a constant unlimited natural resource which we can tap into at any time to refresh, rejuvenate, revitalise and re-energise us at will. When you lose yourself in an interest you love, you find yourself - the real self. Each time you express your true self in an interest that you passionately enjoy (in an environment that is not otherwise stress-generating ie not during work), you generate new energy to replace the burnt energy. After all the term burnout means you have constantly burnt energy without replacing it. You cannot deficit budget time but you can deficit budget energy. A few minutes expressing a passionate interest for no other reason than the enjoyment it gives you can energise you for a much longer time than the time taken to enjoy your passion.
Just simply stopping doing whatever is stressing you isnt enough. It might give you a break but it doesn't create new energy. You need to get involved in something that is going to joyfully take your mind right away from your sources of stress for a while. Singing in a choir does it for me. I say that to demonstrate the point that it doesnt have to be a physical interest. It's a matter of the mind, body and spirit coming together in a state of flow.
If this line of argument appeals to you, go to my website at www.workleisure.com and check out the articles under the "My Views" section.
