Get Stressed To Impress

‘Mindfulness’ may be having its moment, but could inner peace be holding you back from higher performance?

- Scarlett Wrench

DON’T GET WRAPPED UP IN ANXIETY, LET IT PROPEL YOU FORWARD

Stress wasn’t always such a loaded word – just as the avoidance of it hasn’t always been a billion-dollar industry. But for every wellness guru espousing the benefits of daily meditation and the whimsical modern philosophy of ‘mindfulness’, there’s an overstretched office worker whose desperate efforts to calm his pounding heart are flatlining 1.

Let’s start by examining what happens when you get anxious. The autonomic nervous system puts your body in ‘fight or flight’ mode, which causes your heart rate to rise. But here’s the kicker: this is not a bad thing. In fact, your body reacts in the exact same way when you’re excited. It’s only context that causes us to name the response as fear rather than exhilaration. Don’t run from it – chase it. That’s not something you’re used to hearing from Instagram spiritualists, we’re sure, but stay with us.