Using Stress & Anxiety For Growth
370: Reframing stress as fuel for growth
Good morning.
Certainly a crazy week with the launch of Chinese AI, crypto pulling back, tech stocks getting clobbered endlessly. We will cover these events in detail this Thursday as the week progresses, but today I wanted to do a change of pace to talk about something else. For breaking finance news and global updates check out the Discord and X account — today will be a busy one.
Episode #20 of Risk On dropped this morning. I sat down with John LeFevre, who many of you likely know. John is a former Salomon Brothers/Citi Group investment banker, the author of The New York Times bestseller “Straight to Hell” and he was the founder/owner behind the infamous Goldman Sachs Elevator Twitter handle.
With everything going on, stress and anxiety are abundant. It’s true, current news, economic conditions, jobs, and money are major stressors for people throughout the week and year. If you’re someone who works a shit ton or is juggling a lot on your plate you’re likely no stranger to stress, burnout, or anxiety (not fake anxiety like being afraid of making cold calls) but real anxiety about the future, your security, success, or ability to succeed in life.
Stress is often painted as the villain in our lives—a relentless force that drains energy, clouds judgment, and leaves us feeling overwhelmed which leads to poorer decisions when compounded. But what if we’ve been looking at it all wrong? What if stress isn’t the enemy but a hidden ally waiting to be unlocked?
The truth is, stress has a dual nature. Handled poorly, it can wreak havoc on your body and mind, wrecking our fluidity and ability to operate efficiently. But when harnessed intentionally and consciously, stress can become the fuel for personal growth, sharper decision-making, and peak performance.
Stress is the body's natural response to a challenge, demand, or threat. It can arise from various situations, such as work deadlines, personal relationships, financial issues, or health concerns.
Stress activates the "fight or flight" response, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to help you deal with your perceived challenge. While short-term stress can be beneficial (motivating you to meet goals or respond to danger), chronic stress can have harmful effects on your physical and mental health.
Common Symptoms of Stress:
Physical: Headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, upset stomach.
Emotional: Irritability, frustration, mood swings.
Behavioral: Changes in sleep or appetite, withdrawal, procrastination.
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, or unease about a future event or uncertain outcome. It often involves overthinking or anticipating worst-case scenarios. While some anxiety is normal and can help with focus or preparation (e.g., before a big presentation), excessive anxiety may indicate an anxiety disorder, which requires more attention.
Common Symptoms of Anxiety:
Physical: Rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath.
Emotional: Persistent worry, dread, or fear.
Cognitive: Racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating.
Behavioral: Avoidance of certain situations, restlessness.
In today’s Arb Letter, I’m diving into how you can reframe your relationship with stress. You’ll learn practical ways to channel it into a superpower that drives progress in every area of your life—be it work, relationships, or personal goals.
Let’s stop fearing or dreading stress and learn to harness it towards beneficial outcomes. There will never be a shortage of things to get worked up about or dwell on — those that see true success learn to live with these negative feelings and use them to their advantage. This, in my opinion, is going to be one of many difference makers for people in the coming years.
Those who can learn to operate under longer periods of stress and anxiety will see more success in all realms of life. Those who choose to reinforce their negative relationship with these qualities are in for a rough ride.
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
—Marcus Aurelius
Where do Stress & Anxiety come from?
Stress and anxiety generally come from two places. The first is because we are neglecting something we know we ought to be focusing on, preparing for, addressing, or doing. Simplest version of this is the famed “Sunday Scary phenomenon” which seems to be becoming increasingly popular by younger generations. Problem is it’s almost entirely self manifested.