You're addicted to stress

Everyone feels stress, it's a crucial part of the human experience.

A few years ago I was stressed financially, emotionally and professionally.

It felt like everything was falling apart.

Several months later all of my stressful issues resolved themselves.

But then something weird happened: I found myself stressing about new things that weren't even happening yet.

I paused for a minute and made note of all the good things I had, all the progress I had made, and my current situation.

These added up to what I consider an ideal situation.

So why was I still stressing to the same level as before?

Well it turns out our brains can literally become addicted to stress. Our brain is unable to determine what are "good" activities vs "bad" activities. It's the reason people can become addicted to drugs, alcohol gambling, video games etc.

But the one thing our brains crave is familiarity.

You have a set of behaviors or activities that provide your brain with comfort. Unfortunately, one of those activities can be stress.

If you are someone who suffers from anxiety, overthinking or constant stress, chances are these 'states' are familiar to your brain and provide it comfort. (even if it causes you pain)

Studies have shown that our brains will seek reasons to be stressed when there is no current negative situation because they are so used to being in a state of stress.

Now it might seem like we are doomed, but now we are going to dive into how to overcome this.

Overcoming a Default Stress State

The first tactic to overcome addictive stress states is simply accepting they exist.

Knowledge is power in this case.

Realize your brain can't determine good from bad, and take back control over your thoughts.

It's difficult at the beginning, but it gets easier with time. (just like working out a muscle)

The second tactic is the control exercise.

When you find yourself stressing about a situation, do this:

• Write out every thought you're having

• Circle the ones that are within your control

• Cross out the ones out of your control

• List out the actions you can take to mitigate the factors in your control

• Ignore the rest

This is the quickest way to go from overthinking to meaningful action.

Stress is a normal part of life. Everyone will experience it, but the important part is realizing it's more in our control then we tend to believe.

The crucial step is realizing it takes time to get good at controlling our emotions, but with time it gets easier.

Happy stressing.

Talk soon,

Matt