Turn Your Work Stress Into Creative Fuel Using These 3 Expert-Backed Tips Workplace stress isn't just a hindrance. It's also a source of energy you can transform into creative fuel.
By Aytekin Tank Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- Stress can be beneficial if perceived in a positive light.
- Strategies such as reappraising emotions and taking control can help change our perception of stress.
- Collaboration and social connection can boost creativity and alleviate stress.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I was gearing up for one of the most important performances of my life. It was my best friend's wedding, and I had the honor — and the anxiety — of giving the best man's speech in front of 300 guests. I'd spoken in front of my colleagues countless times. But this was new terrain. I knew what I wanted to say, but I was incredibly nervous.
While researching different ways to eliminate my pre-performance jitters, it dawned on me — maybe I was taking the wrong approach. In reading about actors and comedians, I discovered that many of them don't try to quash their stage fright. Instead, they channel that energy into their performance. It comes down to reappraising emotions in a positive light. In the end, the speech went pretty well, even if I never felt less nervous about it. I just tried to stress less about my stress.
Related: A Simple Practice to Overcome the Fear of Uncertainty and Daily Stress
As CEO of Jotform, each day brings new challenges. Stress is part of the job, but it doesn't have to be a categorically negative part. Here are some strategies I use to cast stress in a more positive light and use it as a force for creativity. But first, a closer look at the different types of stress.
The good stress
When we talk about stress, we tend to assume it's a negative feeling. But in reality, the original meaning of stress was neutral. In the 1960s, Hungarian endocrinologist Hans Selye, author of The Stress of Life, described stress as "the non-specific responses of the body to any demand for change." Later, in 1974, Seyle identified two different types of stress: "eustress," which derives from the Greek prefix eu- (meaning good), and distress, which is the bad kind.
Why does the distinction matter?
The physiological experience of stress is always the same: Adrenaline floods the system, heart rate rises, pulse speeds up and breath quickens. Maybe our palms sweat, and our faces flush. But when these physical responses are preceded by a positive event — like the birth of a child or a wedding — we don't view them as unpleasant. And the way we perceive stress can transform its effects.
In one study, researchers asked if participants believed stress was harmful to their health. Those who replied "yes" had worse physical and mental health outcomes.
What's more, whereas distress can hamper our creativity, eustress can fuel it and increase focus. Consider the feeling when you're working on a solo project and paralyzed by fear about doing a good job versus when you're collaborating with a team and racing to meet a deadline, and everyone is under pressure and firing on all cylinders. Two stressful situations, two very different experiences of the same physiological response.
For entrepreneurs, stress is inevitable. The goal shouldn't be to eliminate it but to change how we interpret it.
Related: 3 Breathing Techniques to Help You De-Stress and Refocus in the Moment
Strategies for perceiving stress as eustress
1. Reappraise your emotions
I've always found that my internal narrative affects my mood. If I'm stressed about a project or event and am hypercritical, I try to flip the switch from negative to positive. As it turns out, research shows that self-talk can be surprisingly powerful.
Changing how you talk to yourself before doing something stressful can improve your subjective experience and your subsequent performance. In one study, Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks found that having people state "I am excited" or being encouraged to "get excited" improved performance in singing, public speaking and math. Brooks theorized that reappraising anxiety as excitement primed an opportunity mindset.
If you're anxious about something at work, pay closer attention to your self-talk. If that internal radio sounds negative, make a deliberate effort to change the station.
Related: How to Get Unstuck From Stress and Find Solutions Inside Yourself
2. Take control of stressors
Uncertainty is one of my biggest sources of stress — like when I'm constantly interrupted by impromptu meetings. Making headway on creative work is challenging when I'm anxious about something outside of my control.
This can be explained at least in part by the control theory, which says that our experience of stress depends on our perception of control over the stressor. Studies show that when employees have more decision-making power, they're more committed to their roles and perform better.
Taking control of our stressors is one way to ensure that our brain's resources are directed toward creative thinking rather than unnecessary anxiety. Returning to the above example, I can take control of my schedule by carving out time each day for last-minute meetings. The same goes for replying to unexpected but timely emails. For another example, let's say you're waiting on feedback on a project. Instead of nervously watching your inbox, close your email browser and set an appointment to check in later. In the meantime, you can immerse yourself in meaningful work, or as I like to call it, the "big stuff."
Related: 3 Breathing Techniques to Help You De-Stress and Refocus in the Moment
3. Make work more collaborative
One of the most stressful parts of writing my first book was all of the solo writing time. As a CEO, I'm constantly collaborating with my colleagues. It's energizing, even in the most stressful moments. We feed off each other's energy, and it's less nerve-wracking knowing we're all in it together. Writing, on the other hand, required holing up for hours on end. At the outset, I got bogged down by stress and struggled to get the creative juices flowing.
So, I reached out to friends and colleagues who were also working on books. We swapped strategies for combatting writer's block and minimizing those nagging feelings of imposter syndrome. We offered each other encouragement. It helped me power through periods of stress.
Harvard Business Review confirms that social connection is a powerful creativity booster. It stimulates "oxytocin," the feel-good social hormone in our brains that leaves us feeling inspired. It helps to cast a positive light on our stress.
Related: 3 Ways You Can Be Successful Without Falling into the 'Hustle Culture' Trap
Final thoughts
It's time to rethink how we view workplace stress. After all, a certain amount of pressure is necessary for motivation and finding the most innovative solutions. The trick is to stop trying to eliminate stress — stop trying to "calm down" — and instead, reframe how we perceive it. By reappraising our emotions and using a couple of easy strategies for working with stress, we save our mental resources for the "big stuff" — be it strategizing, book writing or your best friend's big day.
