When we feel anxiety or fear, our brains trigger a response that has been proven by science, a conscious or unconscious choice of fight or flight. We all have a default, and we owe it to ourselves to know our default. I know mine; it is fight. I tend to run toward a challenge rather than run from it. If you are a healthcare executive, you likely have the same default. Flight, or retreat, is rarely a successful strategy for a long healthcare career. Fighting does not mean we literally fight someone, but we stand our ground.

Unfortunately, when stress is the factor that is triggering our anxiety, neither fight nor flight is really the best alternative. You cannot run from challenges and find success. Fighting is often not the best strategy either as it can damage relationships.

Rather, embrace the stress and challenge. You have a choice to allow the stress to immobilize you or to motivate you in how you respond. The strategy is a three-step process:

1. Acknowledge the Stress

It sounds silly perhaps, but some people don’t realize they are feeling stressed or won’t admit it. They have the emotions from the stress but discount them to feeling tired, feeling ill, or feeling picked on by someone. Rather, acknowledge you are feeling stressed.

2. Identify the Cause

Take a deep breath and understand why you feel stressed. What is the core issue, or issues, that are affecting you and your performance? Find the cause, not the symptoms. Now you know what to fix.

3. Embrace the Suck

Once acknowledged and identified, you can now choose your response. Avoid fight or flight. You have to consciously do this. Choose option three: Embrace the stress and use it as your motivation.

Through these steps, you can avoid the debilitation of the negative emotions and focus on solutions. In my book, Karma Doesn’t Need My Help, I hit this head-on. Through stories and situations, I lay out a plan to both personally and professionally embrace the stress. This alternative leads to better outcomes, and a better you as a leader.