This evening, I was conversing with a friend and ex-colleague who is in the midst of moving jobs. He is moving because of the stress of his previous role and the toll it was taking on his overall well-being.
There is no doubt that stress is a significant source of many of the ailments and health issues we experience. The irony, though, is that stress is entirely psychological. Events and experiences don’t cause stress; how you process and view the events does.
In my friend’s case, he realized that he was getting emotionally entangled with the toxic culture of the place and needed to leave. Hence, the move.
Now, my friend is in a good place. He was able to get himself placed into a different organization as an escape. But what if he had no choice available and had to stay back for some reason?
While escape is a choice, the other option is to embrace the stress.
Embracing stress means recognizing the negativity of the situation while finding ways to hold onto the ability to see a sliver of positivity in it. Once you develop the resilience to notice the positives in even the most negative situations, you emotionally protect yourself from the harmful effects of stress. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done !!