My internet has been patchy lately.
During Teams calls last week the signal kept dropping, I was robotic, had to switch off video, and files weren't uploading.
The internet is meant to work, right?
So annoying!
I was surprised at my irritation level and remembered how much of my daily activities rely on the internet.
I've also had poor health issues over the past few weeks.
It's been exhausting, my stomach is in constant pain, and I couldn't get a blood test due to a cyber attack on the hospital software!
Unbelieveable!
It felt like the world was conspiring against me and I couldn't make headway to move forward.
The cumulation of these niggly issues and irritations was ruining my mood and added to my stress load.
I hit a brick wall constantly - stop, start, stop, start.
What are microstressors?
These microstressors sprinkled across my work and life, driving irritation and blocking solutions.
But what are they?
Microstressors are the relentless accumulation of unnoticed small events - in passing moments.
Cross and Dillon (2023a)
Other descriptions of this concept are 'pebbles in your shoe' or 'death by a thousand cuts'.
Often, it's not the big things that drive us over the edge, but these microstressors that accumulate and get in our way.
When people ask us if we're stressed, we might not realise it because there is no 'one' key issue we hook onto.
If you're like me, your tolerance is high and you have to be flattened before you stop.
When the big stressors are obvious - work issues, relationship problems, health conditions etc - you label that you're stressed by them.
There's a focus point.
But if microstressors block your way each hour, every day, over weeks, you don't realise why you feel the way you do.
It seems like that's normal life, but it doesn't have to be.
Reflect on your week so far - what microstressors have you encountered?
Look for areas where you:
- Are unable to finish a task due to an external blocker
- Are waiting to hear back from someone
- Notice stuff around the house that needs to be fixed/replaced
- Must submit an official report but need a document you don't have/struggle to get
- Need to fix a minor problem with your vehicle
- Open the squeaky door that does your brain in!
- Ignore a pile of letters that are unopened
- etc etc
These niggly issues build up and clog up your mental to-do list.
They physically get in the way of getting things done.
A simple task gets dragged out over days and weeks, building frustration and annoyance.
The cumulative impact of this on your stress levels crushes resilience and erodes your ability to resist burnout.
It's the straw that breaks the camel's back.
The tipping point.
Suddenly, the empty milk bottle back in the fridge is it, and you lose your sh*t at the nearest person.
Yet, we often don't notice microstressors and the impact they have on our wellbeing and life enjoyment.
List your microstressors and pick one to fix
Grab a pen and paper, open a Word doc or fire up your voice notes app of choice.
Choose a day this week where you felt stressed or annoyed but couldn't work out why.
Reflect on each hour from waking to your head hitting the pillow.
Hone in on the stressy, annoying, niggly stuff that stops you making progress or acts as a distraction.
What action or task have you tried to close off but can't, no matter how hard you try? Use that as a guide.
When you have your list, pick one manageable one and identify the action(s) that will fix it.
Keep it simple and with a clear start and end so you know what done looks like.
Once complete, move to the next one on the list and keep going.
Timebox it in your diary or fit it in gaps between other tasks.
But get one done. You'll feel so much better for it.
When I'm working with clients, they drive the goals and outcomes they want to achieve.
Sometimes we focus on these microstressors because they are enough to halt progress and impact your self-confidence.
It cascades into other parts of your life in negative ways.
We don't have to start with the 'bigger things' like starting an exercise routine, or asserting boundaries with family members.
It could be buying a new pair of trainers because your old ones are falling apart. This stops you going out for a walk.
What we resist, persists.
Don't ignore microstressors anymore.
Pick one and shove it out the way once and for all.
Your nervous system and weekly diary will thank you for it.
Take care,
Sabrina
Burnout Coach | Neuroscientist | Art-based Practitioner
P.S. Sick of microstressors holding you back? I'll help you shift from stuck to full steam ahead. Book a free 25m call with me to see how we can work together.