Life is full of stress. Things aren’t easy for most people, and sometimes we fall victim to moments that are extremely difficult. It can be due to work, life, or historical events. Sometimes you’re going to deal with extreme stress. I’ve dealt with extreme stress over the course of my life. It’s been incredibly difficult in some ways, but I’ve learned a lot. I used to be weak, constantly cracking under pressure. I’m not perfect, but I’m now the kind of person who works their butt off and solves problems. This wasn’t always the case. Here’s how I deal with the stressors of life, as an entrepreneur and young man making their way in the world.
Immerse yourself in your most healthy addictions
Stress is really, really bad for you. If you’re under extreme stress, I would recommend finding a healthy addiction. Something that isn’t alcohol or hard drugs. Perhaps video games or coffee. Something to distract you and take your mind off of the stress. Stress is felt in your body. Your heart rate rises, your muscles tense, you grind your teeth. Do this consistently for a couple of decades and you will ruin your body.
Learn to think long term
If you’re able to think long term, you’ll likely be able to see your way out of whatever stressful situation you’re in. You’ll also be more realistic. Thinking long term forces us to face and confront some tough realities. Some of those realities are quite striking. Such as the fact that normal people across the world don’t have a ton of money, and they don’t spend most of their time on their careers. For the average person, life involves keeping spending down and living life to the fullest. Because getting rich is pretty much impossible.
Learn to make good decisions
The better your decision making gets, the less likely you are to find yourself under extreme stress. Learning to make good decisions comes as a result of a variety of factors. First, you want to change your state of mind. You want to become responsible for yourself and be committed to living in a positive reality. If you’re doing this for your own sake and not to hoodwink others, your decision making should improve.
Establish a routine
The best way to deal with in-the-moment stress is to be able to perform under pressure. The way to be able to perform under pressure is to develop a routine. If you establish a routine which makes you both highly skilled in your profession and used to discomfort, situations of extreme stress should be less jarring. I’ve seen this in person with paramedics. They’re specialists, but many of them have more than one skill area. They are excellent problem solvers.
If your stress is due to a job, set a limit
Whether this limit is time based or financial is up to you. But if you’re just planning on working forever, you’re likely to ruin your body, even if your mental health remains intact. Set a limit with regards to how much you work. Figure out a way to be happy in some other manner, unless you’re from an extremely poor country. Even then, money will help you a lot less than you think.
Prioritize health
Especially after the crunch-time is over. You want to make sure that you’re able to get the most out of life possible. The way to do this is to make sure that you get healthy. Without your health, you have nothing. Make sure that you have a plan to get healthy and stay that way if you’ve been neglecting your health. You don’t want to age and be a burden to others or find yourself in a position where you can’t enjoy life to the fullest. Prioritize your health both during and high stress events. Get proper sleep, eat well, and exercise so that you can mitigate the negative effects of the pressure you’re under.
Change your relationship with money
If you’re making about $550/month after taxes and are on track to be able to retire with that kind of money without the help of your state pension plan, you are upper middle class by global standards. I know it sounds a bit ridiculous to someone who’s a laptop or desktop user, but I’m pretty convinced that I’m correct, having seen what I’ve seen of the world. Most people in wealthy countries really need to figure out how to bring down their monthly spending. If they could just do this, life would be a lot more pleasant for them. The only exception to this is those who are ill.
I hope you need find yourself under extreme stress. It isn’t fun at all. Your body suffers. You lose mental acuity. Life just becomes generally more difficult. But if you ever find yourself under extreme stress, I think this is the general guide for you, as someone who’s managed to transform their life from stressful to nearly stress free.
Thanks for paying attention.
