I loved this blog post from Seth Godin.
When I’m stressed, I’m guilty of trying to push through. I convince myself that once the task is done, I’ll feel better.
Seth says this is just us seeking reassurance.
We want reassurance that we’ve succeeded, survived, or that our hard work has made things better.
However, Seth says, “The solution to stress isn’t reassurance. We relieve stress by making choices about the stories we tell ourselves. What’s the difference between giving a speech to your dog and giving one on the TED stage? It’s the same speech. The difference is in the story we tell ourselves about the stakes, the opportunity and what might happen next. If that story gets debilitating enough, it can paralyze us.”