A weekly thought for leaders with the courage to introspect.
Stress, what you need to do when you can barely take it.
All changes in life have one guaranteed side effect: stress.
Often that stress is easy to handle.
But changes rarely come alone.
Then it becomes stress on stress. On stress.
Until it starts to wear you down.
What then?
I don't have a ready-made remedy for stress.
Because stress is always personal.
The solution is never in the symptoms.
Always in the cause.
In the midst of the pain.
That's where you need to be.
What not to do:
โ Freeze.
โ Wait and see.
โ To freeze.
You know that feeling of staring into space?
Eyes locked. Thoughts disconnected.
That feels like a kind of standby mode.
But you have to get out of there.
What should you do?
Get moving. Action.
Action is always better than inactivity.
Butโฆ be smart with your energy.
Temporarily eliminate unnecessary chores.
Donโt wash your car. Donโt clean out your shed.
Don't go grocery shopping unless it really makes you feel better.
Let others take over the small tasks for a while.
Because you really need your energy.
And put people who drain you at a distance for a while.
The whiners, the complainers, the grumblers.
You don't owe anyone anything. Not for a moment.
Get moving.
Not necessarily sports. Just walking. Fresh air. Rhythm. Movement frees your mind.
And talk.
Seek out the nicest people.
The wisest. The kindest.
They don't have to be your best friends.
Search your network. Ask for a conversation.
People like to help. It's in our genes.
Talking helps.
Talking creates space.
Talking removes stress from your system.
And remember:
The solution is here.
You donโt see it. Not yet.
But he is there. Always.
Stress comes with a way out.
You already carry that with you.
You just have to find it.
And believe me: you will succeed.
The space between the words is where insight arises.
Until next week when our thoughts touch again.
Hans Ruinemans, Boardroom Monk โฏ๏ธ