When Pressure Meets Wordload

Pressure Writes Fast

Queen and David Bowie.
The combination we didn’t know we needed that landed.
The song we didn’t know we needed still resonating.
And on my playlist.

“That’s the terror of knowing what this world is about.”

Words.
Under pressure.
About pressure.

Pressure writes fast.
Sometimes loudly.

The text pings,
“IT’S DUE TODAY!”

Just before the phone clicks,
“Don’t blow it.”

The last line of the email,
“Remember last time?”

Last thing the boss says,
“Your review is coming up.”

The email titled,
“Grocery List for Party.”
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Key Takeaways

·       Pressure is inevitable.

·       Wordload determines how we experience and navigate pressure.

·       Unchecked Wordload amplifies stress.

·       Under pressure, Wordload often writes the outcome before we act.

·       Most people audit their taxes. Few audit Wordload.

·       RE| is the tool to reclaim the pen.

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List of demands.
Stress builds.
Adrenaline flows.
Cortisol trails close behind.

On the outside?
Exhale.
Smile.

“I got this.”
“I’m good.”
“I’m fine.”

On the inside?

A twist in the gut.
Eyes widen.
Muscles tense.
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When Pressure meets Wordload

Wordload writes faster than pressure.
It turns up the volume.

In our heads.

Wordload is the stacks of words, stories and narratives accumulated over a lifetime. It includes words we’ve been taught, told, and scrolled.
It’s inherited, learned, and environmental.

Layers get added to our stories.

Experience and life events that succeed or fail.
Peer and cultural pressures of what to say, wear, and do.
Trauma or abuse hardening labels, stigma, and  shame.
Digital noise reinforcing perception and labels.

·       Affecting decision making.

·       Building behaviors and habits.

·       Determining performance.

·       Managing relationships.

Wordload either lowers the temperature in the moment.
Or escalates anxiety and stress.

Both decide the outcome.

“There are not enough hours for this.”
Or.
“I can shift my calendar, this time. We’re good.”

“I’m never going to get it done.”
Or.
“Who do I know that had to this before? I can ask them how they did it.”

“I can’t screw this up…again.”
Or.
“I blew this the last time. I know how to do it better.”

Demands creating pressure.
Pressure creating stress.

Interruptions creating micro-stress, or “Death by a thousand paper cuts.”

And our words, Wordload, piles on.  

Truth eventually catches up.

“That only took 20 minutes.”
“Traffic wasn’t that bad.”
“They were a huge help.”  

But the damage was done with adrenaline and cortisol.
Wordload stole our peace.

Pressure comes fast, like dodgeball.
From every direction.

And we don’t always see it coming.

In any given week we might:

·       Dodge the deadline.

·       Duck the date night.

·       Dip out on church.

·       Dive away from the bills.

The metaphor is complete when we dodge the workout.
As demands pile up, our cognitive space to manage them shrinks.

Demands create pressure on our time.
They fill the calendar.

Demands are the force that move us.

If you are given the task of going to the store and back in an hour for a few things? Not much pressure. If you make it three different stops in an hour?
That becomes a different story and the pressure just tripled.

Ask any parent taking kids to activities and practices.
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Wordload and the Stress Spiral

The car gets a flat?
Pressure climbs.

Three stops added three times the pressure.
Taking the car away increased stress exponentially.

Our ability to process and manage the situation?
Decreasing.
Cognitive capabilities decrease.

And we also begin working from script already built from Wordload.

We also know it’s never one thing at a time.
Add:

·       The boss calling.

·       Kids crying in the backseat.

·       Presentations prep in 2 hours.

·       Which bills to skip to fix the flat.  

Wordload fills in white space.

“I’m never going to get this done.”
“Can I even afford a new tire?”
“Not this right now.”

“Why me.”

Demands pile up.
Wordload piles on.

If demands move us.
Wordload decides the direction and outcome.

They feed each other.

Scientists call it a negative feedback loop.

We call it a stress spiral.

“This always happens to me.”
“I’m going to fail.”

Bandwidth shrinks.
What we see, hear, and think, shrinks.
Peripheral vision, gone.
Physical skill set, disappears.
Shallow breathing.
Stomach knots.
Muscles ache with tension.

“Now I’m really failing.”

In sports, athletes call this moment, “choking.”
Regular folks?
Amygdala hijacking.
Analysis paralysis.
Cognitive redlining.

Brain fog.

The stacks of words building Wordload get embedded.

“You’re not…”
“You will never be…”
“Remember…”

Or

“You can be anyone you want to be. As long as…”
“I appreciate you. Except when…”

Or

“Yeah, not your best – but what you did there was amazing!”
“I see what you did there. I like that – keep it up.”

Wordload is shaping our identity.
Impacting careers, relationships, homes, mental health, and faith.
And with every journey we take in life?

Wordload is shaping our legacy.

Under stress? Wordload is narrating.
To help or hinder.

To elevate or escalate.

And in spite of how important Wordload is?
We let it sit.
Unchecked.
Unexamined.

We audit our taxes before we file.
We don’t audit Wordload.

Until it’s too late.

Our brains are hardwired to find the easiest path or solutions.

We label the demand.
 “Soccer practice.”

Then the details follow.
“Billy. 4 pm. School. Soccer.
I will take him.
I will pick him up.”
Easy. Simple. Efficient.

Wordload is the force shaping our emotions, decisions, behaviors, and performance.
Wordload shapes outcomes.

Actions aren’t louder. Words had already decided.

Wordload can turn a simple demand into a script.
Often as soon as the label is written.

“4pm. Soccer practice.”
“But I have to…”

Then more stacks of wordload.

“I hate this…”
“Traffic is terrible on Oak St. I’ll never get there in time.”
“The parking lot line is ridiculous.”
“Now I can’t get that presentation done.”

Scripts turn into stressors.
Stressors have consequences.

Wordload becomes the argument with the mirror.
“You should be…”

The conversation at 3:00 am.
“It’s never going to work out.”

The blank stare out the window.
“I’ll never amount to anything.”
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Wordload and Consequences

Wordload becomes:

Slammed doors.
Angry texts in all caps.
Silence in the meeting.
And more.

For me, Wordload became:
A plan.
A visit to the emergency room.
A twelve week partial hospitalization.

All the ways to hurt myself locked up.

And at the time?
I was number one in my role.
First trip to Japan, booked.
Granddaughter, on the way.

On the outside? Put together.

On the inside?
I no longer wanted to live.

On the outside? Outstanding.
On the inside?

My words?
Unchecked.

Truth?
Showed up months later.
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RE|writing the Script

Pressure ignites wordload.
Wordload intensifies pressure.

Consequences became real.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

We can take the pen back.

Maybe not with new habits.
Or positive thinking and more motivation.

How do we imagine a better day?
When the scripts say otherwise.

We say, “I’m better than this”
The mirror says, “Remember when…”

The answer might be a pivot to words we already know.
And two letters.

An R and E.

RE| is the prefix meaning “back” or “again.”

Between the hospital doors and my truck.
It became freedom.

RE| offers permission.
Permission to pause and create space.

It only works with verbs, our actions.

Instead of reactions.
Responses.

Instead of moments hijacked by wordload.

We can re-learn.
Rewrite.
Reduce anxieties.

RE| is not a fix. It’s a tool.

To regain control of moments.
Days.
Seasons.

To help us:

RE|vive:

·       Realign words.

·       Recognize and retire scripts that aren’t helpful to you or others.

·       Reframe and rescript healthy narratives.

RE|store:

·       Reclaim identity.

·       Reconnect relationships.

·       Recover peace.

RE| gives us the power to RE|author potential, momentum, and outcomes.

The capability to be bett|er.

RE| doesn’t pursue perfection. It doesn’t demand excellence.

Our journeys take us through mountaintop moments.
And seasons of extreme brokenness caused by loss.
Whether of a loved one—or our own identity through choices.

People aren’t broken.
Maybe the words and stories we carry are.

People are remarkable.
So are you.

Sometimes it just takes extra help.
From a trusted friend.
A pastor.
A counselor.

It might even take medications.

There’s no shame in any of it.
That doesn’t make you “less.”

Words may tell you otherwise.
That’s just wordload writing fast.

Sometimes we need to replace ego with recovery.

The truth is? You’re just re-learning.
RE| is a tool to use before help arrives,

I was reminded how effective RE| is while out with my wife.

We walk through Barnes and Noble almost weekly.

Smells of coffee…and books.
Admittedly, an addiction.

This time though?
I was on a mission.
BUT.
The books weren’t in alphabetical order by author.

The associate was very kind and apologized profusely while helping  me find my book.
And she said something interesting.

“We need to do a better job getting these realigned.”

I smiled.
My stacks needed realignment too.

RE| gave me the pen back to do it.

My name is G. Scott, and I write about the power…and burden of the words shaping people, organizations, and outcomes. I’ve served over thirty years in the corporate environment scaling operations and sales initiatives and teams regionally and nationally.

I have been blessed with my wonderful wife Alyson, three great kids and my first grand-daughter.

The most important part of my work? You. I hope you share your story!
If this has been tough, please reach out to a trusted friend, pastor, or counselor.
If I brought up anything that caused a struggle—please reach out to 988 the National Crisis Hotline immediately. They are there to listen and help.