Answer the following questions to find out:
- Are you one of those people who say 'I thrive on stress'?
- Do you strive for perfection?
- Do you get by on less than 7 hours sleep?
- Do you rely on coffee and/or cigarettes to keep going?
- Do you find it hard to switch off/relax?
- Are you always too busy for a holiday?
- Do you feel anxious when you’re not busy?
- Do you often eat on the go?
- Do you worry a lot?
- Are you always leaving things to the last minute? (See Time Management blog).
Please note this is not a scientifically designed questionnaire.
If you find yourself answering yes to:
2-3 of the above questions, you may be a stress junkie.
4-6 of the above questions, you are probably a stress junkie.
7-10 of the above questions, you are definitely a stress junkie!
Whilst we know that a bit of stress can improve performance, being constantly in a state of stress can cause problems.
The Stress Response, also known as the Fight or Flight mechanism or the Physical Emergency Response, is designed to keep us safe. So if our ancestors were faced with a tiger, this response would be triggered to enable us to either fight the tiger or run away, by releasing hormones that primed the body for action. However, if we are constantly activating this mechanism, it can suppress our immune system, interrupt our sleep patterns, and these hormones can cause a whole host of conditions, including heart problems.
Help is at hand. You can learn to break the patterns that result in stress junkie behaviour and learn how to calm the stress response. P4 is designed to teach people how they can perform at their best even in high pressure situations, without being a stress junkie!
Simon Pimenta
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