The Annoyance-Anxiety-Stress Connection

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Life is full of annoyances.  Mine revolve mostly around travel.  Years ago, I wore the badge of Road Warrior with honor.  I remember back in 1997 when I was in the Navy, I flew TAD to Washington DC to attend a Total Quality Management Train-the-Trainer workshop.  On the way back home to Bremerton, WA, I fancied myself on weekly business trips.  It seemed so glamorous back then.

But today, business travel is a stressful cacophony of hassles.  Parking at BNA.  TSA lines.  Packed Southwest Airlines flights.  Travel delays.  What once seemed an enviable lifestyle is now a major annoyance. But…

…annoyance leads to anxiety, which leads to stress.

But this year will be different.  At least that’s my goal.  I’ve identified the most common annoyance-anxiety-stress triggers and have a plan to combat them:

  • Parking offsite with Parking Spot rather than patrol the BNA terminal garage like a stressed-out Black Friday shopper at the mall.
  • Driving rather than flying to distances less than 500 miles if I have to make a connecting flight.
  • Paying the fee for Clear to accelerate even the TSA Pre-Check process at big airports.
  • Taking early morning flights and avoiding any afternoon or evening flights with connections.

When I’m in control, there are less annoyance-anxiety-stress situations and life gets better.

But what about you?

As an HR professional, your life is busy and stressful enough without adding in annoyances.  I’m not sure what they are for you, but why not look for the triggers that wear on you outside of normal hours.

  • Traffic?
  • Parking?
  • Commute?

What can you do to alleviate stress from just those three?  After all, these three book-end your already stressful day.  Think about some options to deal with them.  Rideshare?  Public transportation?  Audiobooks and podcasts?  Leaving earlier?  Asking for flex hours?  Telecommuting once a week?

I’ve learned that just the anticipation of stress leads to stress.  By being proactive, you at least assert some control.  I’m doing my best to control my travel and stressors.  Why not join me this year?