For most workers the physical effort we exert in our day jobs does not warrant the fatigue we feel at day’s end. Learn how high-intensity emotions affect our energy in this informative article.
Source: Harvard Business Review, Managing Yourself, February 1, 2016.
Whether you’re getting amped up with anxiety or with excitement, you are draining yourself of your most important resource: energy. Excitement, of course, can be a positive emotion and it certainly feels a lot better than stress. But just as a sugar high may feel great for a while, it sends your body into a physiological high that can end with a crash. You are bound to feel tired sooner than if you had remained in a calm state.
See also: The Powerful Effect of Noticing Good Things at Work, September 4, 2015.
What most people don’t realize is that positive experiences — even small ones — provide you with valuable resources that can be used to reduce stress, including physical symptoms such as headaches or muscle tension. They make it easier for you to detach yourself from work at the end of the day.