FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sanford Rose Associates’ Kirk Johnson ‘Are We Addicted to Stress?’ Article on ISHN
Dallas, Tx | 8/5/2014
By Kirk Johnson
For many, pending deadlines and packed schedules are not overwhelming, but instead can be a driving force that pushes them toward greater productivity. We have processes to streamline, goals to achieve, promotions to earn, debt to eliminate, exercise regimes to master, dreams to chase, and people to help and inspire. The “I work best under pressure” mantra environment creates a Catch-22; we get frustrated with ongoing stress, but perform at the highest level of effectiveness and efficiency when under the exact stress we try to escape.
For some, busyness can be reassuring; a feeling of constant forward-motion and accomplishment is much preferred over being stagnant or empty. That reassurance can come with an eventual price – stress, while beneficial in moderate amounts, is harmful in excessive amounts, as are most things.
Can we become addicted?
The present hysteria is not an obligatory or inevitable condition of life; it’s something we’ve chosen, if only by our acquiescence to it. Heidi Hanna, author of “Stressaholic: 5 Steps to Transform Your Relationship with Stress” argues that multiple demands on our time and energy have created a neurochemical dependence on stress. By activating the dopamine reward center in the brain that feeds us feel-good endorphins, stress can temporarily boost performance, explaining why some appear to get so much done when under extreme pressure.
Source: http://www.ishn.com/blogs/16-thought-leadership/post/99131-are-we-addicted-to-stress
