For all the cognitive pageantry of the 4th industrial revolution and the knowledge economy, the designed stress and suffering of living a 21st century life is deeply ironic. You have infinite choices at every moment, every crossroad, every meeting, every interaction. You are insanely powerful when you accept your agency, tap into your personal authority, and connect with your truth.

Stress is, however, the modern day epidemic of the fear response. Fear is only helpful when your survival is truly threatened. (Spoiler: your survival is almost never truly threatened.)

Fear also begets fear. You spread it unconsciously, and it becomes a base frequency of the system. Take, for example, the “I’m so busy” mantra running on repeat in nearly every organisation. It imprints fear, perpetuating stress loops throughout the system. You cognitively know you are not at risk of being eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex, yet your stress response is the same one your ancestors used 65 million years ago when the threat was real.

But here's the thing: Your brain is not the same brain as theirs.

Interrupt your catatonic stress by taking action, designing differently, and making a smarter choice about how you're approaching your day, your obligations, your flow, and your operating.

Your stress—and its contagion—negatively impacts creativity, engagement, interactivity, productivity, and retention.

Don't do it.