INVITE STRESS
A New Perspective on Stress, Burnout, and Human Capability
The RAT Problem
Imagine that you wake up in the middle of the night and discover a rat in your bedroom.
Instantly, something happens inside you.
Your heart beats faster.
Your attention becomes sharply focused.
Your muscles prepare for action.
Your mind begins searching for a solution.
Most people would say,
"I am frightened."
Others may become angry and immediately look for something to drive the rat away.
Although their emotional reactions may differ, something common has happened first.
Stress has been activated.
Notice something important.
The stress itself is not the problem.
The rat is.
The stress has a purpose.
It is preparing you to take action.
Now imagine trying a different approach.
You sit down.
Close your eyes.
Practise deep breathing.
Tell yourself to relax.
The rat is still in the room.
No amount of relaxation will remove it.
No amount of positive thinking will make it disappear.
The only way to reduce this stress permanently is to deal with the rat.
That is why I believe we need to rethink the way we understand stress.
Perhaps stress is not an enemy.
Perhaps stress is an invitation to act.
But what happens if you do nothing?
The rat remains in your room.
You leave for work the next morning.
During the day you become busy and temporarily forget about it.
But when you return home, the rat is still there.
The source of stress has not disappeared.
It has merely been postponed.
This simple example illustrates something that happens repeatedly in our lives.
Many of us live with the equivalent of "rats" in different areas of life.
An unresolved conflict.
A postponed decision.
A neglected health problem.
A financial difficulty.
A relationship that needs attention.
An important conversation we keep avoiding.
Each unresolved problem continues to demand psychological energy.
We often describe ourselves as being "stressed."
But perhaps what we are really experiencing is the accumulated effect of problems that have remained unresolved for too long.
Over the past several decades, my research has gradually led me to a different perspective on stress and burnout.
Rather than asking,
"How do I reduce stress?"
I have found it more useful to ask,
"What is this stress asking me to do?"
That question has changed the way I think about stress, burnout, learning, decision-making, and human capability.
It has also led me to develop practical frameworks such as RAT Analysis™, Supra Stress Prevention™, the Supra Burnout Risk Assessment™, and other self-guided methods for understanding and managing stress.
Through this newsletter, INVITE STRESS, I would like to share these ideas with psychologists, educators, HR professionals, trainers, organizational leaders, students, and anyone interested in understanding stress from a different perspective.
Each edition will explore practical questions such as:
Why do some people seem to attract stress wherever they go?
Can stress become psychologically addictive?
Why does burnout keep returning?
How can we choose the challenges that help us grow?
What capabilities make people more resilient under pressure?
If these questions interest you, I invite you to subscribe to INVITE STRESS – A New Perspective on Stress, Burnout, and Human Capability.
I look forward to exploring these ideas with you.
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