Tip# 6 – The Genetics of Stress: Are you a Worrier or Warrior?
Lesson 7 Module 1
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#1 Some people just don't feel as much
The short answer is Good Genetics + Good Life philosophy = High Stress Tolerance.
But individuals don’t really express their secret formulas, they just live.
For example, lets talk about Dave Canterbury from Dual Survival show where he and Cody must survive in different environments by utilizing their survival skills. In the first episode you would see how Dave willingly inflicts a wound upon himself and then cauterizes it with gun powder. Insane, right?
After doing so Dave says:
“I have got a pretty high tolerance for pain, in general”.
Some people naturally seem to FEEL LESS, it is almost like their bodies have higher stress tolerance from birth. Interestingly enough, according to Dr. Wilson the author of “Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome”, on page 20 states that:
“Children born with mothers suffering from Adrenal Fatigue and children who experience severe stress in the womb are typically have lower adrenal function. Because of this from birth they have less capacity to deal with stress in their lives and so are more prone to adrenal fatigue throughout their lives.”
Of course, it may be hard to determine if you have HIGH or LOW genetic stress tolerance.But if you take a look at how your parents and other family members dealt with tough life situations and your past experiences, then you may have a pretty good idea where you stand.
It is also important to note that each person’s brain is different in how it processes information. Therefore, it is possible that your brain naturally takes in less variables, and thus produces a less fearful model of reality, as oppose to someone who picks up more variables.
#2 THEY HAVE A STRESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Have you ever seen managers or CEOs, who seem to be 100% fine managing themselves as well as other people without stressing out?
If this has been going on for a number of years than this BULLET PROOF person probably has some kind of stress management system which they have developed for themselves by trial and error over time.
I have personally observed this from one Director of Sales at a Health Company I used to work at. What struck me was how professional he was while at work. He always arrived before the owner with his gym bag.
He was always happy and talked to everyone.
I later figured out that the activities he would be engaged in were part of his stress management system.
- He played soccer with friends twice a week
- worked out every morning
- networked with a lot of people in his field
- was emotionally supported by his wife
The key is to start customizing how you react to stress so it does not re-occur. The only way you will remove stress is to do what you like and remove all negative things from your life.
#3 INTROVERTED or EXTROVERTED
Okay, so you can categorize this into genetic traits but i look at it separately.
I used to think that INTROVERTS were sane and EXTROVERTS were insane.
Later on, I discovered that INTROVERTS can also be crazy and EXTROVERTS can be saner, so I had to let go of this belief but not fully.
It is safe to say that Extroversion and Introversion are the oldest notions in the history of personality theories. It has long been observed that some people (extroverts) are more expressive, outgoing and comfortable when interacting with their surroundings. The idea here is they feel less, so they seek external stimulation to feel more alive.
Extroverts also like to do many smaller things, with many other people not all the time but that is just a general tendency. So, they may tend to go for higher quantity of experiences rather than quality.
Introverts are more reserved, quiet and more comfortable when are alone but can be very extroverted at times. They live more in their own inner world instead of seeking stimulation from the outside. The main idea is they naturally feel more so they need less stimulation from the external world.
Introverts would rather seek high quality experiences and people but fewer of them in order to satisfy their curious minds.
The reason you need to know this is because then you do not have to be hard on yourself.
You could just accept yourself and don’t fight the urge to read personal development books or go clubbing in Las Vegas.
Assignment: Look at yourself how you were from childhood and try to determine if you are more of an INTROVERT or EXTROVERT. You could also be an AMBIVERT which is a person who is in the middle and can adjust based on situation.
Take this test to better determine who you are:
#4 PERSONAL HABITS
Some people do not look at themselves as if they have a Stress Management system, but they just have some things that they like to do on regular basis. These activities make them feel better which really are HABITS that they have developed over time.
Example 1: Lady that cleans
There was one young woman that my brother used to know, which had habit of cleaning up a portion of her home every morning. So, by the time weekend came the clean up was almost finished and she had a tremendous sense of accomplishment and self-worth because she was able to keep her place clean.
Example 2: Zak Builds a Race Car
One of my friends also suffered some hardships one of which was dropping out of university because he lacked the interest in the original program of choice. It affected him seriously, but thankfully he found a solution by joining his university’s Racing Team where he would get to work on a new race car every year which then would be used in real championships.
As he began to spend more time building the race car, he understood that he was more interested in mechanical engineering. This is when he went and applied to another university that also had a same kind of RACE TEAM and he began spending time their as much as he could. He was there on evenings during the work week and all weekends too. I remember calling him a few times on a Saturday night to find that he was working on the car at the school shop. I told him,"Zak, do you think you took it a little bit too far?” and he would say “No, I don’t look at it this way, I am working on something I like, I am building up my resume and I don’t worry about the past, you need to move on too Ivan”.
He later on ended up getting an internship with one of the biggest automotive companies, which later gave him a full-time job once he finished school.
His habit of building the race car, literally removed his worries and gave him a future.
How does is relate to being a Worrier or Warrior?
Well, you to start doing something since it will build your confidence level. You will become more of a warrior since warriors have more inner strength and confidence. While you will be creating this long-term habit, you also will be becoming mentally strong. The only caveat here is knowing when and how to remove the habit and develop another one.
Assignment: Take a look at your life, is there some kind of habit you can develop that can grow into something bigger in the future?
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