Who is the “I” that feels stressed in business…?
It’s an unusual question to ask, but follow with it, if you’re game…
When we think about stress, we usually attach how we are feeling to some kind of circumstance that affects the business. Maybe difficult market conditions, one of your colleagues, a really tight deadline, a cashflow that is quite stretched. It appears to us that these are the causes, so our reaction is usual to start addressing the situation… Diversifying the offering, managing the colleague, buying in extra resource, working extra hours, or asking for an overdraft as applicable.
The conditions vary, but the feeling of stress is the same. We might also have the exact same feeling of stress and see that it is caused by something outside of the business. By the political climate, our partner, global warming, traffic, our disobedient hair… Once again, the conditions vary, but the feeling of stress is the same. Yet we can also recognise that the stressed feeling is not a constant. So the circumstance may remain in place for some time, but our apparent feeling of stress ebbs and flows. We don’t always feel stressed.
So this takes us back to the original question. Who is the “I” that is feeling stressed? Explore this question with me as you read.
Is it a person? What do you identify as being that person that you are? Is it your body? The thoughts and beliefs that you experience? Your feelings?
We’ve already acknowledged that your feelings come and go. But the “I” still remains. Your thoughts come and go too, don’t they? And your body has changed massively over your life time. Constantly being renewed. Yet the “I” remains the same.
The “I” is who we are.
The stress that you experience is part of the thoughts and feelings that ebb and flow, come and go. Just like the tide comes and goes, day and night, spring, summer, autumn, winter. So can you see right now that the “I” is not stressed? All that has happened is that you have temporarily believed your thoughts and feelings, thus experienced stress as being because of circumstances. When you realise that “I” am not stressed, the stress goes and peace returns. From that position of peace things look different and all manner of creativity, compassion, ideas and solutions can flow forth.
Understanding how this experience works is one of the most powerful things you can learn in business. The way that you attend to problems becomes much more productive.
Want to know more about how I can help? Drop me a line or give me a call. A successful coaching relationship depends upon a great rapport, so it’s important to talk. I want to get to know you, see inside your world and we can assess how we’d go from there!