How Well Do You Manage Your Allostatic Load?
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How Well Do You Manage Your Allostatic Load?
To do:
- Schedule some quiet time to think deeply and honestly about the stressors in your life right now.
- Get some perspective. Speak to a coach, a friend, a trusted advisor. We are always terribly bad at self assessment.
- Look up allostatic load, understand it. Awareness is curative.
- Ringfence enough time and identify activities so that you can re-create regularly.
Don’t know what that is? Then read on. (I hadn’t ever heard the term before either)
We were ingeniously designed so that when our ancestors came across a sabre toothed tiger the body immediately released the right amount of chemicals so that we could either fly, fight or freeze with optimum efficiency. A part of that design meant that when we eventually got to a safe place our chemical system would flush out those stress chemicals so we could return to a more relaxed and natural state.
The world has changed a lot. Our basic wiring, not so much.
Allostatic load refers to “the wear and tear on the body” which accumulates as an individual is exposed to repeated or chronic stress. Sabre tooth tigers have become extinct but modern day stressors have become prolific, ever present ubiquitous and unavoidable, especially for the business owner or leader.
As high performing leaders we think we can handle anything, and we probably can, until we can’t. one of the things that sets leaders apart is their extraordinary resilience and self-efficacy. It is almost as though we have chosen to live in a world of sabre toothed tigers and other dangers.
If I stretch the analogy it is not hard to imagine that sooner or later one of the dangers is going to get you. The point about allostatic load is the slow, inevitable and unnoticed build up of repeated stress over time. So it is not one thing, it is the build up caused by not ever really getting the opportunity to recreate our reserves and fully flush the system, as it were.
I have personally fallen foul of this situation and have spoken to a couple of friends over the last few weeks who’s full throttle, successful lives suddenly and without warning slammed on the emergency brake.
The more driven, the more successful, the more full on we are, the more susceptible we may be to allostatic overload. Make managing it part of your daily discipline.
Many successful business owners eventually hit a wall on growth and struggle to climb it alone. When you work with me you get a fresh perspective, a solid plan, and customised coaching so you can grow and scale your business safely and at speed.
To check whether I can help you on that journey https://calendly.com/iankinnery/canweworktogether