On Eustress
Who knew that marathons are hard?
I’m taking this week off from an article. Lately I haven’t slept well and have been overwhelmed from taking on too much. Quite frankly, some of these articles haven’t been up to the standard I want to set around here.
Too often in my own life, I’ve tried to push through obstacles like these as things pile up. I have learned that strategy rarely bears fruit. It just burns me out. Creativity, at least for me, never comes when I’m tired and stressed. I can’t write unhinged posts about oatmeal raisin monarchies when my brain feels as fried as my morning breakfast eggs.
Eustress is a term that’s used to describe a type of stress that pushes your boundaries in a beneficial way. Walking the line between that and having too much stress is a tightrope we’re all balancing atop. It’s important not to fall off and this is my way of rebalancing my weight. We’ll see if it works long-term.
While this newsletter is still in its experimental phase, my goal is still the same: getting something published each week. Right now, I’m just trying not to break the streak. And in my book, this counts. If someone else has different standards, whatever - good for them.
Writing is a challenging thing even for the best in the world. Aiming for consistency is a marathon. Problem is, I’ve always been more of a sprinter. I have faith I’ll build up the new muscles and mindset though. I’ll have some more writing coaching coming my way soon, so I hope to get back on track and back in the zone. I appreciate all of you for sticking it out with me so far.
So there’s some insight for the week, if you squint hard enough. As promised, head 👇 for your laughs.
3 Funny Things
1 - I Challenge You To A Duel
It’s time to bring back duels. What better place to run a test than in the airport? People are tired, desperate, and angry - a perfect combo to bring out our worst. I think it would be a perfect system for Southwest’s open seating - duels could simply take place in line outside the plane. If you like this, the creator Soren puts out a new UI design type of joke every day, so give him a follow!
2 - People + Free Food = Disaster
This is a quick article consisting of eleven short stories of people and their absolutely mental attitudes toward receiving free food. They’re hilarious. There’s few things I enjoy more than watching people’s weirdo behaviors and stories like these always deliver. Take a few minutes of your time and check it out at the link above.
3 - Targeted Ads Sketch (NSFW)
Leaving you off this week with a slightly unhinged existential sketch from Almost Friday TV. Content in this one is a little racy if the thumbnail doesn’t give that away, so save it for when you’re home from work. There’s tons of other great videos on their channel so if you want to get lost in a new Youtube Rabbit Hole, here’s your chance.
If you have feedback on this section, I’d love to hear it! I hope you’re enjoying it each week. If you have some sort of changes you’d like to see, hit me up in the comments below. I’m open to submissions as well so send over the funny things you’re watching to share with the group.
Eustress - man, that sounds like the sweet spot! How do you know when you've achieved that?