TGIM: 99 Problems

Welcome back to Thank God It’s Monday!
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tl;dr Even when life is going well, we create problems to solve. Acute stress can provide motivation, a sense of purpose, and a source of individual growth. When stress feels overwhelming and paralyzing, the antidote is taking action.

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Think about the last time you felt life was going well. Maybe it’s now, perhaps it was a couple of months ago. It could have been after you landed the new job or after getting settled into the house you finally bought. You accomplished a goal you spent a long time working toward, and life felt easy, even for a moment.
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In these times when life feels easy, humans look for problems. Usually, life has a way of creating problems on its own, but even when life is good, people look for issues.
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To appreciate this quirky little aspect of human nature, consider when you feel sick. A sore throat that goes on for days, making it difficult to swallow your own secretions; nevertheless, drink water or enjoy food. Then one morning, you wake up and thankfully the sore throat has vanished, and you’re elated to have normal swallowing. If you’re like most people, by that afternoon, you’ve already forgotten how thankful you are to be back to health and found something else to be frustrated about.

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We create problems no matter how well life is going. Sometimes life gives us enough to worry about (a horrible boss, a sick loved one, or catastrophic events from Mother Nature). But other times we have good health, a good job, and good weather, so we start stressing about other things (our to-do lists and other nonsense that would normally seem insignificant, but we have to find something to worry about).
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Notice what is going well in your life and what you have been stressing about recently. Have you invented problems for yourself? Have you hoped to be in the position you find yourself now (and maybe didn’t consider the new issues you’d face)?

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For example, I have been feeling overwhelmed in the last week on the precipice of some big changes. I’ve been worrying about moving, packing, getting things done on the to-do list, and other nonsense items. But when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I try to consider where I was a year ago and how I couldn’t wait to be in this position. I’m no longer working three jobs or chronically exhausted. I no longer have homework for graduate school. I am transitioning to a new job that gives me opportunities to continue learning. I have the chance to join a community to help stretch me in personal development. A year ago, I would have been ecstatic to hear where I am now.

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And don’t get me wrong, I’m so excited for these changes! But even with these wonderful things on the horizon, I find things to be stressed about. Not to say you can’t juggle that duality between being grateful and stressed, but just to emphasize the point that as humans, we will always find problems to deal with.

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When we create problems, we subject ourselves to unnecessary stress. For the purpose of this discussion, there are two types of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is the kind we typically associate with stress: short bursts of elevated blood pressure, sitting in traffic, or preparing for a job interview. Distress is the chronic, more insidious form of stress that lingers and creates a sense of helplessness, such as feeling unsafe at home or wondering where your next meal is coming from.

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Eustress is deemed beneficial, hence the “eu-”. This improves performance, like when an Olympian is stressed going into the event they prepared four years for, and then they shatter their own record. It insights productivity and motivation, helping you stay up and crank out an excellent presentation the night before it’s due. Eustress, while stressful, is beneficial for personal growth.

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Distress, on the other hand, is what leads to burnout, illness, and depression. Living in an unsafe environment, not knowing where your next meal is coming from, or feeling threatened at work are all examples of stress that is long-term, overwhelming, and detrimental to your physical and mental health. The primary issue with distress is that it feels/is insurmountable and can become debilitating.

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Most of the time, the stressors we refer to when we have problems are eustress. They are acute in nature, and while they can feel intimidating or daunting to address, the sensation is improved by taking action.

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Action is the secret sauce when it comes to dealing with stress. A long to-do list, returning to work on Mondays, or even a big life change, can be alleviated with action. That silly paperwork that has been driving you insane on your desk? No longer stressful after you address it. The big move coming up? Less stressful as soon as you’re on the road. Action is the way to mitigate these acute eustress(ors).

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So when you’re feeling overwhelmed next, pick the smallest and easiest action you can take to address the big, daunting task on your agenda. Take the smallest bite off that you can chew and get it done. Even the tiniest action will start the flywheel, so you can gain momentum and quickly address the stress. And notice how much easier it becomes to tackle those problems as soon as you start taking action.

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If you found some value in this, please share it with a friend you think would enjoy it! And let me know if you’d like to be added to get TGIM.

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This week, my podcast recommendation is new from Paul Levitin’s Change Made Easy, “From Middle Class to Millionaire: Your Wealth Mindset” with Bronson Hill.
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With that, what’s the first thing on your problems list you will take action on?

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Until next time,

Shannon