Seeking self, dropping anchor

Are you aware of what your ‘stress comfort zone’ is? We all have a level of stress that is adaptive or helpful and becoming aware of what level that is for you is critical to preventing distressing levels of anxiety and/or depression. Distress can be experienced when someone has nothing worthwhile to do (not enough stress) or when they are overtaxed by constant activity (too much stress). Can you relate to these? This diagram shows that as stress increases so does performance and well being UNTIL you reach your stress comfort zone. As soon as we move into over or under stimulation our performance & well being then begins to decrease. This doesn’t mean we just avoid circumstances which push us out of our stress comfort zone, sometimes this cannot be helped! Rather it allows us to be more proactive in managing such times, ensuring that we seek BALANCE… aiming to steer away from staying in over or under stimulation for extended periods of time & being able to bring ourselves back ...

Ever leave a meeting feeling defeated & frustrated as if nothing helpful was achieved? A common example I hear is when those in attendance use the time to whinge, with each person seeming to set the other off into a spiral of complaints and negativity. When anxiety is present one way of managing it is to share it with others and allow their shared feelings of frustration to ease the discomfort we are experiencing. Whilst it might make us feel better it doesn’t often achieve change - instead often leading to increased group feelings of dissatisfaction. I have 2 helpful questions to ask yourself in these scenarios: 1. When you observe yourself in these meetings what is your response to your teammates/colleagues anxious behaviour? Some common responses could be to shut down & switch off, try to appease people by providing them with a quick solution which may not be realistic or possible or respond with a more punitive approach perhaps raising your voice & setting out unfair co...