Supply and Demand

October 21, 2022

Who would have thought that my one semester of economics in college more than two decades ago would intersect with my career today as a coach and psychotherapist? Truth be told, I don't remember much from that course, but I'm pretty sure the introductory lessons didn't explain how the law of supply and demand relates to peoples' emotional health. Surprisingly, my work does.

Let me explain. Even though my clients work in a wide range of industries, they face similar challenges in their respective businesses. They discuss non-technical aspects of their work, such as changes in their emotional capacity (what I'll refer to as supply) and how it decreases when the demands to meet client commitments and customer expectations increase (what I'll refer to as demand).

You'll never find me teaching an Introduction to Economics class, but if I were a guest lecturer, I would teach about supply and demand from the human perspective. I would remind my students of the obvious – that they are non-linear human beings; they are not robots or math equations but living, breathing people whose thoughts, feelings, and actions influence what, when, and how they do things.

I'd explain to the students that having a successful career requires more than knowledge and skill – it also requires self-care. I'd emphasize how important prioritizing their well-being is, and should they choose not to, they will essentially be choosing to reduce their emotional supply or emotional capacity when managing their mood, focus, and overall well-being. In doing so, these choices would increase their risk of feeling heightened levels of stress and anxiety, which is another way of saying they'd be increasing their emotional demands.

Your emotional health is essential to your overall happiness, not just your career. When you have a greater emotional capacity (aka supply) for managing challenging situations, like when the s#*t hits the fan (aka demand), you too will realize how taking care of yourself is the metaphorical preparedness necessary for managing the ups and downs of supply and demand.