How To Find Peace During Stressful Times

How To Find Peace During Stressful Times

if you're not getting warning lights, any second you could be a half second away from the next shock... when you know what's coming, you can prepare your coping responses, and best of all, afterward you know when you're finally safe, - Robert Sapolsky

They did a study. At random, they gave the subject an electric shock (a stressful stimuli). Then, they gave a warning 10 seconds prior. This little warning protected them against the shock.

When it's random, you're constantly anxious about what's going to happen and when you get shocked. But when you get a warning, your body can relax. It can predict what will happen and calm down in the following 10 seconds - knowing it won't be attacked.

Knowing when the stress will occur, makes it less stressful.

Action for the day

Think of stress you might experience. Harsh tasks at work, an overwhelming to-do list, an interaction with someone, a tough workout, self-doubt, etc. Which might happen today?

... and around what time? Afternoon, evening, after lunch...?

Great. Knowing what/when frees you from stress/anxiety at a biological level. You're not always scared of attacks. You feel more at peace (during the event and after). Likewise, you won't feel the typical shortness of breath, overwhelm, or elevated heart rate. Or at least, you feel them less.

And here's the best part: you've done 80% of the work. Almost there :). Just let yourself feel stress when the event happens. So, at other times, like right now, you can feel at peace.

Here's the clip of from the podcast.