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Day 1: Identify the sources of your stress

Day 1: Identify the sources of your stress

Gain clarity by identifying the true sources of your stress. This simple yet powerful exercise will help you declutter your mind and uncover what’s really weighing you down.

Wilson Obeneme
May 12, 2025

Day 1 Focus: Awareness and Clarity

One major contributor to mental health struggles is stress—whether internal or external.

While many people feel constantly overwhelmed, very few can clearly identify the root sources of their stress.

The first step to solving any problem is awareness. Awareness leads to clarity—and clarity makes it easier to take intentional, strategic action.

Capturing your thoughts properly also helps declutter your mind and brings structure to your challenges.

Step-by-Step Guide with Example Below

Preparation (2 minutes)

Turn off notifications to avoid digital distractions.
If possible, move to a quiet space with minimal interruptions.
Set a timer.
Open your notebook or digital notes and title it:
“Day 1 – Awareness and Clarity”

1. Brain Dump (5 minutes)
List everything that’s currently causing you stress. Don’t filter—write it all down.
Include work, personal life, finances, relationships, health, time, etc.

Ask yourself:

Prompt	Your Response
What’s currently causing me the most stress?
What’s been weighing on me emotionally or mentally?
When during the day do I feel most anxious, drained, or tense?
Are there tasks, people, or situations I dread or avoid?
What responsibilities do I feel overwhelmed by?
Am I overcommitting in any area of my life?
What habits or patterns are draining my energy?
What am I constantly thinking or worrying about?
Are there unresolved issues or conversations I’ve been avoiding?
What do I feel guilty about lately?
What areas of my life feel out of control or chaotic right now?
Is there something I’m trying to do perfectly that’s stressing me out?
Where am I spending time but seeing little progress or fulfillment?
What things do I say “yes” to that I wish I could say “no” to?
What do I feel I should be doing but haven’t gotten around to?

2. Categorize (5 minutes)
Next to each stressor, label it with one of the following:

🧑‍💼 Work
🏠 Personal Life
💰 Finances
😴 Health/Sleep
💬 Relationships
🧠 Mental/Emotional State
📱 Digital Overload

This helps reveal patterns and where stress is concentrated.

3. Prioritize (5 minutes)
Highlight the top 3 categories that have the most stressors from your categorization.

These are the focus areas we’ll unpack in the next few days.

✅ Outcome

By the end of today’s session, you’ll have a clear, categorized list of your stressors. This clarity sets a powerful foundation for the rest of the challenge.

Congratulations, you have completed today’s challenge.

Feel free to email me at [email protected] to share your thoughts and reflections on today’s challenge

Final Action (Optional – Post on LinkedIn):

Feel free to share your reflection on LinkedIn and tag me:

📣 I joined the 7-Day Productivity & Mental Health Challenge by Wilson Obeneme and The GrowthPlug.

Today’s focus: Awareness and Clarity.

Through a simple exercise, I discovered I’m currently dealing with [X] stressors, and the biggest source is [insert category, e.g., work, finances, etc.].

We’ve got 6 more days to go—and it’s already worth it.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or drained, I highly recommend you join too. Let’s take action this Mental Health Awareness Week.

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #ProductivityChallenge #TheGrowthPlug

I look forward to having you join tomorrow’s challenge.

EXAMPLE:

Challenge Day 1 – Awareness and Clarity

Time spent: 15 minutes

🧠 Brain Dump (5 minutes)

Reflection Question	Response
What’s been weighing on me lately?	Deadlines piling up at work, unending emails, financial pressure from unexpected expenses, feeling disconnected from friends.
When do I feel most tense or anxious during the day?	Early mornings before work starts and late at night when I can't sleep.
What tasks or responsibilities do I keep postponing?	Updating my resume, having a tough conversation with my manager, booking a health checkup.
Where do I feel least in control?	My work schedule and personal time boundaries.
What am I afraid might happen if things don’t change?	Burning out or making a big mistake at work.
What thoughts or patterns keep looping in my head?	"I’m falling behind." "I can’t keep this up."
Where am I emotionally stuck?	In guilt about not being productive enough and not spending time with loved ones.

📂 Categorize (5 minutes)

Mapped Stressors by Category

Stressor	Category
Work deadlines piling up	🧑‍💼 Work
Unread emails	🧑‍💼 Work
Financial pressure	💰 Finances
Disconnected from friends	💬 Relationships
Can’t sleep	😴 Health/sleep
Procrastinating personal admin tasks	🧠 Mental/emotional state
No work-life boundaries	🧑‍💼 Work / 🧠 Mental/emotional state
Feeling guilty & stuck	🧠 Mental/emotional state
Overuse of social media	📱 Digital overload

🔍 Prioritize (5 minutes)

Top 3 Categories With Most Stressors

🧑‍💼 Work (3 stressors)
🧠 Mental/emotional state (3 stressors)
💬 Relationships (1) — tied with 💰 Finances and 📱 Digital overload

✅ Outcome Summary

Today’s exercise helped me identify that my biggest stress sources are work demands and her internal emotional patterns. I now feel more aware and ready to focus on what matters in the upcoming days.

I joined the 7-Day Productivity & Mental Health Challenge by Wilson Obeneme and The GrowthPlug.

Today’s focus was on Awareness and Clarity, and I discovered that my top stress areas are work and emotional overload.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or mentally drained, I highly recommend joining this free challenge.

Let’s take action, not just raise awareness.