Yo Homie,
Are you feeling a bit stressed out?
Are your social feeds full of fear, bias and confusion?
No need to trip, get angry or go on conspiratorial dives into the dark web ??♂️
What matters MOST in trivial times is your ABILITY to remain calm.
Now, I’m not saying to “ignore” everything happening around you. What I am recommending is to maintain an objective perspective in this time.
It’s far too easy to become riddled with doubt about where the world is headed right now. Yet, the only thing you can control in this scenario is yourself, the thoughts you think and the actions you take.
First off, you need to understand why we become stressed. The definition of stress is the state of pressure or tension being exerted upon a material object.
So tap into that imagination of yours, and think of yourself as a rubber band, and the general “pandemic” mindset as the pair of hands pulling you apart. Doesn’t feel good does it?
(You prolly look like that guy above as you scroll upon the feed that also eats away at you.)
In general, we want to avoid that feeling of being pulled apart. Which can also manifest in different forms, such as physical tension, fatigue, headaches etc..
Biologically the reason we enter a state of stress is due to the cocktail of chemicals that get released by the brain when a situation just becomes too overwhelming. If you know anything about hormones, you’ve probably heard of cortisol and how it get’s released into the bloodstream during fight or flight scenarios. (Like when you watch your neighbor Steve swipe that last TP off the shelve at the grocery store.)
Now that we have entered the age of stress being brought on from media, limited supplies, technology and pollution, we actually become triggered more than we are consciously aware of. So, how do we deal with mitigating these “stress attacks”?
We have to biologically prepare for it with nutrition, proper breathing, exercise and mindset. Two guys that I trust and highly recommend you go to to deal with your stress related problems are my good pals Nick & Nathan at mitigatestress.com .
They go DEEP into the reasons we become stressed at a physiological level and give you the tools and resources necessary to combat the environmental/social factors we currently endure that can lead stress.
Beyond the physical, we have to learn how to properly THINK in times like these. Like mentioned above its literally WAY TO EASY to become encumbered by all the BS we are consuming. Posts, blogs, articles, news clips, tv shows, etc..All of this information you consume is stored in your brain and blends together to create your perception of reality.
It’s this reason why I guard my mind like a fuc*in boss.
I don’t want BS beliefs running the show and you should NOT settle for that either. Which is why I recommend you check out the “A Bug Free Mind” series by Andy Shaw. This two part book series has been a MASSIVE benefit to me throughout my 5-6 years of reading and re-reading it.
I grew up a chronic worrier, and oh yeah I was even voted MOST STRESSED in my senior year book. -> (check out the image below for proof ?.)
So if a chronic worry wart like me growing up can now be known as one of the most “chill” people by his friends in his 20s even in the eye of a storm, so can you.
Thanks for reading, let me know some of your stress reduction tips below. If you found even one slight bit of value in this article, share it so we can help our loved ones, associates and partners maintain a monk mind in the current state of the world.
Sincerely,
Skylar G. Lysaker