Pete Alexander2x TEDx Speaker and best-selling author helping transform burned out workers into engaged colleagues.

Stress Relief Tool - Learn Your Stress Triggers

12 May 2021 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:52

In this short self‑help video, the speaker explains that most modern stress is mental and largely self‑induced. He differentiates between beneficial eustress and harmful stress, noting that the latter usually appears as rumination about the past or anxiety about the future. By becoming aware of these negative stress sources, viewers can adopt coping skills. The speaker points to his blog, which offers over 100 quick coping mechanisms, and recommends a 5‑minute, nine‑question Psychology Today quiz that identifies personal stress triggers and suggests tailored strategies. The overarching message is that while we cannot control external events, we can choose how we react by focusing on good stress and managing negative triggers.

Chapters

It probably will come as no surprise to you that most of our stress these days is mental. But what may surprise you is that most of our stress is self-induced. We do it to ourselves rather than someone or something doing it to us. Now, not all stress is bad. In fact, good stress, also known as eustress, is actually helpful for getting things done. The first step is to understand the difference between good stress and bad stress, and then eliminate the bad stress, which typically comes in two flavors: ruminating about the past that we cannot change, or anxiety about future events that may or may not happen. By simply becoming aware of our stress source, we can learn coping skills to stay on top of it. And my blog has over 100 quick and easy coping mechanisms you can try, so you are bound to find at least one or two that work for you. A 5-minute, 9-question quiz by Psychology Today can help you learn what triggers your stress response. Check the text of my blog post on this topic for the link to the quiz. It gives you a summary of what triggers you based on your responses and provides suggestions for handling those stressors that align with many ideas already shared on my blog. While we can't control the world around us, we can choose how to react to situations. And all that starts with focusing on our good stress and understanding our negative stress triggers.