---
title: Yerkes-Dodson Law - Optimal Stress
date: 2025-09-25T00:00:00
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
So, today I noticed, while sipping my morning coffee, that sometimes the sunlight outside seems to hit differently, you know? Like, is there a perfect time of day when I feel like I can conquer anything? Maybe it's just the caffeine, or maybe something else. Anyway, this got me thinking about stress and how sometimes it feels like either too much or too little. Like that time I tried to delete Instagram because I felt overwhelmed but then just kept checking it on my browser instead. It’s like I was trying to find some balance but ended up in a weird limbo of stress and scrolling.
I remember hearing about the Yerkes-Dodson Law. I think it's something about stress and performance, where there's this sweet spot of optimal stress, but how do you even find that? I mean, did Yerkes and Dodson ever have Instagram or 24/7 news? Doubt it. And I wonder if this "optimal stress" thing really applies when you're dealing with modern distractions or if it's just another one of those theories that kinda sounds right but isn't super useful when you're trying to deal with everyday chaos.
There's this graph, I read somewhere, maybe a textbook or an article online, where there's like a curve. Starts low, goes up, then comes back down. Sort of like my motivation around 2 PM. Supposedly, it's about finding the right level of arousal for peak performance. But what does that even mean in practice? Like, is it about having just enough pressure that I actually do my laundry before I run out of socks? Or is it about being able to focus on a workout without checking my phone every five minutes? Sometimes I think I'm nailing it, and other days it feels like my brain's playing a cruel joke.
I’ve tried different things, like intense workout plans or digital detoxes, but they never stick. Maybe my issue isn’t about finding the right balance but just being okay with how unbalanced things can be. Could the answer be hiding in the chaos itself? It’s tempting to think there’s some magical formula, but maybe Yerkes and Dodson had more going on than just a simple curve. I mean, were they even dealing with whatever this is that we're all dealing with now?
I don’t know if there’s a real takeaway here. Maybe it’s another thing that I’ll think about while mid-scroll or halfway through my next workout. Or maybe, just like everything else, it’s a cycle—sometimes I’m at peak performance, and other times I’m just trying not to spill coffee on myself. I guess I’ll keep stumbling through my days, looking for that right amount of stress, whatever that actually means.