PPI #134: Why You're So Stressed (And What You Can Do About It)

You might think that you'll never get on top of your stress, that you'll always be behind with too much to do and maybe never feeling on top of your game. But there are so many simple things that you can do to lessen those feelings of stress. And today you're going to learn not only why you're so stressed, but what you can do about it.

Hi, my name is Eric Partaker and I've been recognized as the CEO of the year and as an award winning entrepreneur. And I'm also the author of two best selling books including the Three Alarms. So the first thing you got to check in terms of your stress is are you respecting the fundamentals? What do I mean by the fundamentals? I mean are you getting enough sleep, are you eating properly, are you getting enough exercise? Often when we're in stress situations, we think that we don't have time to sleep. We think that we just got to order those takeaways or, you know, get that food delivery instead of eating proper food. We feel like we don't have time to exercise. But it's exactly in those moments, those high stress moments when we most need our fundamentals. Those fundamentals protect us. If you're super stressed out and if you actually go and work out, it will actually relieve your stress, it will help tremendously. Similarly, when you're feeling super stressed and if you didn't get a good night of sleep, then you're more likely to stay stressed. And the fact that you didn't get that good night of sleep could very well be the reason why you got so stressed to begin with. So make sure you're keeping that trinity in place with regard to your fundamentals and that you're getting that sleep as you should, you're still eating well and you're getting the exercise that you need. And if you're in a super stressed situation, you need those things even more. The second reason why you may feel stressed is because you're flying blind. Maybe you don't have a plan, you don't have clear goals for the quarter, for the month, for the week. You're not clear about what you're doing on a daily basis. And one of the simplest things that you can do there is two things, is have a plan for the quarter. In these 90 days, what is it that you want to be achieving? If these 90 days were going to be successful for you, what would happen? What would need to change so that you get to the end of the 90 day period and you go, wow, that was incredible. That was A really good quarter for me. And then the other thing, on a more micro level, is just making sure each day is planned well. And the simplest thing that I've always done to make sure my day is planned well is when a day ends, I choose one of the top three things that I want to work on the next day, and I just schedule them into my day. But I do that actually the day before, not the morning of, so that when I start the day, I'm not flying blind. I know exactly where I'm going, when, and what I'm going to be working on. Another reason why you could be super stressed is because you're not actually doing things that are meaningful for you. You're doing things that maybe are important for other people, but actually aren't important for you. And then if that's the case, then you really need to step back and ask yourself, okay, the things that I'm doing, how I'm spending my time, is this me? Is this, you know, is this important to me? Is this something that I love doing? Is this something that's using my skills? Is this something that is allowing me to make a positive impact in the world? Am I also still being challenged appropriately so that I feel like I'm growing and developing into the best version of me? Is what I'm doing? Is it going to help me achieve the goals that I have in life? And if you can't answer yes to those questions, then there's a good chance that you're doing something that actually isn't truly meaningful for you, which, if that's the case, can create a lot of stress for you. So then the question there would be, well, can you accept what you're doing such that it doesn't stress you? And then if not, okay, well, when are you going to make a move? When you're going to take some bold action, decide where and how and when you're going to upgrade your life to the life that you were meant to live, to the life that you truly want, rather than maybe the life that somebody else has planned out for you that isn't really consistent with what you want to be doing. And last but not least, if you're feeling stressed, it could simply be because you're doing too many things and not the right things. So, once again, that's one of those situations where you need to step back and look at all the things that you're doing and ask yourself, what are the things that really matter most here? Where should I really be focusing my attention? What's going to really help me move the needle, get closer to my goals, get closer to the things that I'm trying to achieve. And are you spending time on the right things and then also asking if there are any things that you, if there's anything that you know you should be spending time on and you aren't? Well, where can you schedule that into your calendar? Because what gets scheduled gets done. So if you're stressed because you're not doing the right things, well, then you have to eliminate some of the things that you are doing and make sure that you plan in some of the things that you know you should be doing. What gets scheduled gets done. And I'd love to hear from you. So don't forget to leave a comment and a rating as well. And if you'd like to get a copy of my new book, the Three Alarms, please head over to my website at ericpartaker.com that's E R I C ericpartaker.com where you can pick up a free digital copy of my new best selling book, the Three Alarms.

Sam.