How often do you stress test yourself?

Now you might be asking, why would I want to stress myself? And it’s a valid question. But I have an answer for you, to build resiliency.

The military conducts war games, scenarios in which they run simulations of how they would respond to enemy attacks. Companies run red-teaming exercises, models of how they would respond to cyber-attacks, and even in some cases, what they would do if competitors moved into their market. Both the military and companies perform these exercises, not in the hopes but to build resiliency just in case these events occur.

Another form of stress testing is exercise. Exercise is the intentional act of stressing your body either under weights so that your muscles don’t atrophy or via a cardio exercise to maintain or increase your heart and respiration system’s strength.

Your ability to navigate stressful situations can be a superpower that you can cultivate for yourself. Still, to do so, you must be willing to expose yourself to stressful situations or learn stress management techniques.

When I suggest exposing yourself to stressful situations, I don’t mean to put yourself in harm’s way. I am suggesting that you don’t shirk away from situations or events that might cause you to feel uncomfortable or even scare you a little. Depending on your personality, speaking to a stranger or taking a walk when the weather is less than desirable can both be stressful situations, but with a little practice, you can build resiliency to both.

Practice dosing yourself with small amounts of stress regularly, and over time, I can almost guarantee your resiliency and confidence will grow. Just like nature is exposed to the elements and flourishes under the weather’s stress, you too can grow and flourish under a regular regimen of stress testing yourself.

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