How Stress Can Cripple Your Mind

NYPD statistics show that the hit percentage at zero to two yards is 38%. Think about that. At six feet away the majority of highly trained officers in the NYPD will miss a shot. But every year they must hit a target at 75 feet away with a 78% accuracy to stay on the force. What causes this huge drop-off?

Stress.

At a well-lit firing range officers are in no danger. They’re safe. But when they hit the streets their skills degrade from stress. Imagine if you’re walking down a dark street late at night and you see danger. Your heart rate picks up, your palms get sweaty and your mouth goes dry. Adrenaline rushes through your body. The blood drains from your limbs to help keep you safe.

If you don’t train to deal with stress then your performance will suffer when you most need it.

Now, most people don’t have to deal with the stress of physical violence or loss of life. But chronic stress can be just as dangerous and has plagued humans throughout the centuries. In 1933 F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his 11-year-old daughter a letter with a list of things to worry about, not worry about, and think about. He was trying to help her understand how to deal with the stress of life — focusing only on the things that were within her control.

“Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside.”

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations​

The Stoics would have appreciated Fitzgerald’s advice. They believed that most conflict began in the mind. That in most situations it is our own thoughts that cause us the most harm.

One of the most effective ways to deal with stress is to take a few deep breaths and focus on the present moment. Recognize where stress is coming from. Are you harping on some past mistake? Worried about future possibilities? Take another deep breath and focus on the moment in front of you.

Control what you can and forget about the rest.

-Sean

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