Do you interrupt others when they speak a bit too slowly? Does a slow person make you stressed? Then it's time to ponder where your stress comes from.

A Slow Environment

You're driving a car on a small-town road. The car in front is driving a little bit slower that the speed limit, and the road is too narrow for overtaking. You feel the stress creeping under your skin. Why did you end up behind such a slowpoke?

You're sitting at a meeting, listening to a colleague explaining a problem. The colleague explains in a provocatively slow and detailed manner. Halfway through the explanation, you've already understood everything and know exactly how to solve the problem. You can't bear to listen to the slow description to the end. You interrupt your colleague, take over the show, and quickly explain how to solve the problem. Your stress and frustration might even cause you to do it in a slightly condescending tone.

You Are Already Stressed

Do you recognize yourself in any of the above descriptions? Do you get stressed when your colleagues walk, talk, eat, or perform their tasks in a slow manner? Then it's more likely that you were stressed before those things took place, since this is really not about the colleagues making you stressed.

When you have a stressed brain in a tense body, it's relatively easy to numb that stress: work even faster, do even more, and avoid all breaks. As soon as you slow down a bit, wait for something, or drop your phone and daydream, something happens. You start to feel that stress.

Don't Blame a Slow Environment

When the car in front drives a bit too slowly, or when a colleague talks a bit too slowly, your pace drops. Then you feel your stress. It's easy to say that everyone else is making you stressed because they're so slow. In reality, the stress is already present in your brain. Now the stress comes to the surface, and you feel it.

If you are someone who likes a fast pace and juggling many things at once, then you are probably a hard-working person who likes challenges. Don't back away from the challenge of managing the stress you feel! Don't run away from it, and especially don't blame a slow environment! Dare to feel your stress and dare to ask yourself the question: where does my stress really come from?

A Simple Challenge

Let me give you a challenge. Stop reading this and put away your device. Stare blankly for a minute. Don't cheat, make sure you just sit still and do nothing. Do you start glancing at the clock after a while? Do you start feeling stressed or restless? Then you probably have a stressed brain.

Where does this stress come from? What do you need to do right now to take care of the root problem instead of blaming a slow environment?