Embracing the Stress

To make stress work for you, you must first understand the underlying biochemistry. The reason that humans experience stress is that it is supposed to be a motivating factor for us to change things so that the stress is decreased. More importantly, dopamine has been shown to have the added effect of inducing motivation. Once you actually reach your objectives, your body gives you a generous boost of dopamine so you feel accomplished, rewarded and just plain good. The best way to tap into that feel good sensation is to create a list of small goals that are very achievable so you will be even more motivated once you start knocking the things off the list. Another way to make stress work for is to change your relationship with it. You need to see it in a positive light rather than some horrible thing to avoid. Stress can also creep up when you have so much to do that you become paralyzed by what to tackle first. In that situation, try prioritizing your workload based on how much creativity is required for each task, starting with the most mindless activities. These could be anything from completing administrative duties to answering internet phone calls. Save those creative juices for the software development.