The
Stress Test,
designed to determine the capabilities of a person or a thing under extreme
conditions. To bring this point home you can look at the recent events of the
coronavirus and the negative impact that many are experiencing because of the fallout. Conflicting messages from doctors, local councils, the government and the
world health organisation are creating havoc with people’s health and
wellbeing.
On a
personal level, even though we as human beings can’t
completely eliminate stress from our lives, we can learn and incorporate sound
ways to manage and prevent much of the stress we experience in our lives.
However, what most of us don’t realise is that a lot of the stress we encounter
is self-imposed. We contribute to our own stress when we don’t plan ahead,
cheat ourselves on sleep, work too many hours, ignore relationship problems, and
sit on the fence when it comes to decision making.
Now let’s focus on two types of
Stressors
Intense stressors are
situations that come and go over relatively short periods of time. These might
include navigating traffic during rush hour, completing your tax returns by a
certain due date, trying to meet a tight deadline at work etc. Intense stressors are common and although
whilst going through them we might feel uncomfortable we generally tend to
regain our physical and emotional balance shortly after encountering them.
Persistent
stressors affect
us over a prolonged period of time. Examples would be caring for a family
member with a serious disability, being laid off due to covid, being furloughed
and experiencing financial hardship or losing a loved one after suffering a prolonged
terminal illness. Persistent stressors can wear us down and even make us ill if they
go on long enough by compromising our immune system and impacting our health.
My personal opinion is that The Stress Test is designed to build
character and highlight the untapped
skills, talents and abilities that we have lying dormant inside. If we go back
to my opening example and look at the impact of the coronavirus example as
tragic as it may be, there are many lessons to be learned and good practices to
be implemented, which would undoubtedly save lives and improve health and wellbeing.
On the human level, one could argue
that stress and The Stress Test is a
necessary evil on the journey of getting to where you want to be. The Stress Test is part of your
preparation, it’s training you and developing your character to be the person
you need to be, to do the job you’ve been called to do.
That said it’s amazing that when the
stress comes many will say that they did not sign up for it and want to quit.
When you’re under stress, take the stress for what it is, your opportunity to
learn and grow. For example, a boxer when hit under a barrage of punches, can
be said to be under immense stress at that moment. However, he can decide to
throw in the towel or he can exercise a few options. Drop to a knee and take a
standing 8 count to catch his breath, hold onto his opponent for dear life or
simply default to evasive action.
The choices he makes at that moment
will ultimately determine the outcome of the round. We too have choices when
put under stress. My question to you is “What are you prepared to do to be
victorious?”
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