How High Performers Can Learn to Better Manage Stress
Posted on April 29, 2022 by Kevin Conklin, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
Small doses of stress motivate high performers. Too much stress derails them. A daily, 10-minute Mindfulness practice helps them better manage stress.
The secret to managing stress is to understand two things. Most of your stress is in your mind. Your mind has a hidden power to manage stress.
Most people try to avoid stress. But as high performers, we walk right into it.
We have a love-hate relationship with stress. In moderation, stress drives us to fantastic achievements. In excess, stress derails us.
The negative effects of chronic stress weaken everything we need to succeed. So more than anyone, it’s important that we learn how to manage stress.
As an executive in a series of startups, I met with investors monthly to report progress. Venture Capitalist board members can be brutal. What you’ve accomplished is rarely enough. They always seem to know someone who is doing better.
The week before a board meeting, I’d wake many nights at 2 AM. The points I’d prepared morphed into self-doubt. Worry spiraled to impending doom. I’d lie there powerless as my thoughts ran over and over in my mind.
I thrived on the challenge of startups. But hated the gut feelings that came with fear of failure. At one point, I became chronically depressed. Anti-depressants took away the lows. But they also flattened the highs I needed to succeed.
My search for alternatives therapies led quickly to Mindfulness. I adopted a daily practice of 10-minute Mindful meditations. Within days, I was feeling better. Finding it enjoyable, I continued my Mindfulness practice. Within weeks I started noticing profound changes.
My outlook on life was better than it had ever been. When crises hit, and everyone else was flailing, I saw hidden opportunity. No longer reacting to events, my responses were powerful. I felt stronger, smarter, healthier, and happier than ever.
I set out to discover why Mindfulness was so effective in dealing with stress. The answer was so profound, I converted to Buddhism.
In short, bad things happen. But our brains them out of proportion. Buddhists call this the Second Arrow.
Here’s an example. Your boss comments negatively on your performance. This First Arrow stings.
The Second Arrow hits when your brain revisits the comment. Don’t they understand how hard I work? What will happen if they fire me? Maybe I am that bad and no one else will hire me?
Chronic stress is largely due to the Second Arrow. And it’s totally imaginary. Buddhists say, “We suffer that we suffer.”
Most people believe we have no control over our thoughts. But the philosophies of half the world believe differently. While thoughts have great power, the trained mind is superior. Mindfulness meditation is the trainer.
Here are some key takeaways from studies comparing Mindful Meditation practitioners to control groups. Mindful meditators tend to have better outlooks on life. They are happier. They are better able to manage stress. Some studies suggest they live longer, healthier lives.
You may be thinking, I don’t have time to meditate. Mindfulness exercises take only 5 to 10 minutes. If you’re a high performer, it’s easy to do the ROI.
