Minimizing Stress

Lesson 15

Stress is a silent killer, but sometimes it can be loud. Realistically, stress is probably the number one killer of dreams and good ideas. Personally, when I was stressed about money all the time, I couldn’t get anything done. I had the best ideas, but every time I tried to turn it into reality, I was plagued by intrusive thoughts about money, as well as overpowered by the stress of not having enough. It seemed like every few minutes I had to stop working and refocus after yet another stressful thought about money problems. I experienced a very similar thing after a breakup. I was trying to get work done, but it was like my mind was haunted by the thought of messing up that relationship and what could have been.

Stress doesn’t just destroy productivity, but it destroys the body and mind on all levels. It blinds you from innovation, and it drains your energy. It literally shrinks your belief in what is possible. The more stressed you are and the longer you are stressed, the worse it gets.

If you want to build something great with AI, you need to minimize stress as much as possible, and there are plenty of ways to do this. Like many things in life, it is an individualized process. The best stress management techniques for me may not be the best for you, and vice versa. However, there are some that work well for almost everyone.

As BKS Iyengar once said, breath is king of mind. Deep breathing is the king of stress reduction. We will do a deep dive on that later. Spending time in nature and with good friends are other great ways to reduce stress. Diet is important too. For example, if your adrenal glands are overworked through consuming too many stimulants, you will be easily stressed. The same goes if you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals — like  potassium or magnesium. Basically any form of exercise you like will help tremendously, as well as changing how you look at things. These are just a few, and there are many more. Find what works best for you, and AI can help with that.