Navigating the Storm
- Jacob Somers
- 3 minutes ago
- 5 min read
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. - William James
Stress is something that will hold our life hostage, often feeling like an imminent threat that drags minutes on for hours or overwhelms our life leading us to blink it away in our busy fixations. How do we navigate a world where stressors such as our jobs, lack of money, or time constraints can lead to non-linear, overgeneralized, and poor judgment-based decisions? When we sense that our daily stress is leading us to feel overwhelmed causing a greater perceived limit on our time, abilities, and options, it is our responsibility to lean on our healthy coping skills. During these times the illusion of time scarcity and the deception of fear will encourage poor decision-making. So, we will discuss the information to educate better decision-making and stronger coping choices in these situations.
Daily Stressors
Whether we are 'fighting the bear' regarding stress, 'burning from both ends', or just numbed out from everything overwhelming us managing this stress requires intentionality. Let us begin by describing each of these stressors and what they mean, followed by how stress affects our time perception, and what we can do about it.
*we will not discuss the concept of numbness in this post due to it being a larger concept regarding apathy, depression, and stress/fatigue, which we will cover in another post on another day.
Fighting the Bear
To 'fight the bear', I find, largely takes place in the gut. It is that feeling that our stomach is dragging behind us, along with the weight of the world that’s anchoring us to the ground. During these times, we simultaneously feel that if we don’t begin running we’ll never get away from it. This stress is similar behaviorally, emotionally, and in how we respond to life-threatening situations. Be it a bear or an audience of judging eyes during a school presentation the response in us is the same. These situations are stressful due to the body releasing hormones (cortisol, adrenaline (epinephrine), and norepinephrine ) to prepare us for dealing with the perceived threat, or 'fighting the bear'.1
Burning from Both Ends
Fixating on the stress like a car stuck in the mud, without the sense of imminent danger to urge us towards avoidance of the stressful stimuli is the sense of a 'burning from both ends' stressor. This can lead someone to low emotional and internal regulation, causing a sense of drowning in stress. Poorly regulated minds blur our ability to focus on the needed stressors, and the relative need for a break and need for self-care. This heightened stress, and ongoing 'grinding' to reduce the stimulus of stress decrease our effectiveness of managing the stressors due to the long-term effects of stress on our minds. This is usually characterized by stress headaches, distorted vision (migraines), and a notable sense of being worn out (the forever Monday blues). 2
Temporal Distortions
Although they sound like something from a science fiction novel or theoretical physics course, temporal distortions relate to and are a symptom of stress. A temporal (time-based) distortion (misshaping) is where time is not accurately perceived due to stimuli affecting the ability to measure time. This is largely contextual given the individual and how each person responds to stressors. The generalizable aspects can be summarized in two common phrases: "Time flies when you’re having fun", for positive stressors, as well as "Waiting…turns minutes to hours, hours to days…". 3
In situations where we are 'fighting the bear,' we have a positive distortion, meaning that time seems to slow down as we feel our minutes turn to hours. Think of the oncoming threat of something rushing towards you and how it appears to slow down like the movie The Matrix's bullet time. Alternatively, when we are burning from both ends, we never have enough time (a negative distortion). Finding that (despite not having fun) our time seems to be flying away from us and our days begin to feel more limited. This is the result of time scarcity illuded by our poor sense of temporal judgment during times of stress.4
With this information, what is the 'illusion of time scarcity,' and how does it happen? Our sensations of having scarce time are the result of our perceived threats and the daily burning stressors that we fight. The bears we fight cause us to have positive distortions, resulting in an illusion of a threat or stressor taking longer (or assuming it to take longer) than it does or would. The days when we are grinding until we are nothing more than a dry wick result in our time feeling as though it is 'flying by' (a negative distortion). These stressors together work against us to provide the sensation of time scarcity. While the onslaught of threatening stress feels too great for us to manage, the burning stress deceives us into believing that we do not have the time in the day to address the stress itself.
Navigating the Storms
When navigating the onslaught of stress storms in our everyday life we must first ask ourselves a question. Are we facing an oncoming threat (fighting the bear) or are we losing our regulation through burnout (burning at both ends)? These stress reactions require different relaxation responses to reduce their effects on our wellbeing, and time perception. Below is a list of relaxation responses to try to better understand what response reduces the effects of your stressors on your well-being in each of your individual contextualizations. 56
Spend Time Laughing
Becoming Active
(ideally aerobic to burn off lingering cortisol)
Completing a Task
Solo/Alone Time
Venting Time with Supports
(who DO NOT encourage negative coping skills e.g. substance use)
Mindfulness Exercises
(breathing exercises, meditation, etc.)
Stretching
Music Listening Session
Positive Mantras/Self-Talk
(Argue with that negative mindset while we’re in it)
Journal
Artistic Expression
(paint, draw, write, etc.)
Improve Sleep Quality
Counseling
In conclusion, the way we perceive and respond to stress can dramatically impact our sense of time and overall well-being. Whether we are 'fighting the bear' or 'burning from both ends,' the strategies we use to manage stress are crucial in maintaining balance and making sound decisions. By recognizing the types of stress we face and employing effective coping mechanisms—such as physical activity, mindfulness, or seeking social support—we can better navigate the complexities of our daily lives. Ultimately, understanding and addressing the illusion of time scarcity can empower us to regain control, make more informed choices, and lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
6 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relievers/art-20047257
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