Updated: Apr 13, 2021
3 Tips to Reverse Engineer Your Stress
This term “reverse engineering” comes from the manufacturing world meaning “to examine the construction or composition of another manufacturer's product in order to create a duplicate or similar product. We can reverse engineer a lot of things, including your stress.
Let’s redefine this term as it relates to your stress: “examining the composition of your stress in order to destroy the product (the stress).” Now, we will never get rid of stress, however, we can certainly reduce its effect on us
“We will never get rid of stress, however, we can certainly reduce its effect on us.”
Let’s talk about 3 ways we can do this.
1. Increase your own awareness about what has been creating the stress. We cannot change things that we never knew existed. So, the first step is to start creating a journal or diary of daily tasks/emotions/circumstances. This will give your clues about your next steps.
2. Evaluate your findings. Once you have started tracking your day to day life, you can start to put pieces together.
For instance, if I notice my stress levels go up significantly when I am around certain people, I might ask…why? If I notice avoidance and then guilt arise when my mother calls, do I have a fear she is going to ask for something I do not want to or am not willing to do and therefor I might disappoint or anger her? Have I noticed something biological? Is my sleep or eating off? These are things to think about.
Make a list of what you find.
3. Learn from your newfound knowledge. After you’ve evaluated your findings, how are you going