Stress, anxiety, and superpowers

Human beings feel. It is part of the human experience. Some feelings are pleasant, whereas some are quite difficult to experience.

Stress and anxiety are feelings that fall into the latter category. They are emotions that people generally tend to run away from.

But is running away, or trying to not feel, the best approach?

If human beings are built this way, to experience a diverse array of emotions, then is it fair to selectively feel? I believe not.

No doubt it's uncomfortable, but before deciding on an action, we need to ask the question, "Why are we feeling stressed and anxious?"

We experience stress and anxiety when we care about and are pessimistic about the uncertain future. The more certain we are of the negative result, the more intense is the feeling. But surely, most of the time, none of it's true.

It's our body giving us a danger signal. It's our body telling us to deal with the situation so it can relax, and it's aggressive in its communication.

Now, the question becomes, what are the physical effects of stress and anxiety?

We become hyper-focused and don't have broad thinking anymore. Our heart rate rises, and our alert mind starts racing.

It's an uncomfortable feeling. And it's as if our body just wants to run away or deal with this right away. Most people go with the former.

But I believe once we come to terms with why we feel this emotion and listen to what our body is trying to tell us, we can use this emotion to deal with uncertainty with quality efforts.

Stress and anxiety become superpowers. They become a gift.

(Originally written on 25 Apr 2022)