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It's great to be stressed!
Can stress be a good thing? Go ahead and add some stress to your life.
Asaf Rolef Ben-Shahar LicMT LHS LNCP LCPS
The stress response (illustrated as the relationship between arousal and performance) is an n shaped curve - up to a point it’s a most beneficial arousal fuel. When not abused, stress is great supplier of energy, acuity and performance enhancing. Actually, without this energy - we wouldn't be able to function at all. Here are some examples for times we need stress to perform well…
On the road: Yes, too much stress on the road is hazardous, yet stress is necessary while driving. In this unnatural situation of moving so much faster than nature intended, one need to be alert and ready to act - to sharpen one's senses and have quick muscular responses. Stress takes care of it. If we weren't stressed at all - our reactions would have been slower, our sight - not as acute and our concentration - much poorer.
Giving a speech: When standing in-front of a group, with intentions to give a successful speech, sensual acuity, fast responds, quick thinking and ability to pay attention to many things simultaneously are crucial. Being so much alert all of the time would be devastating and impossible, but we use high-stress levels to be at our best during this limited time. How boring it was without this excitement?
Meeting new people: We are social animals. When we meet new people we examine them - are they potential partners? Friends? Colleagues? Enemies? We put so much effort in new relationships, so much attention. Unless we had high levels of stress we couldn’t do that, we wouldn’t pick up many things, we wouldn’t perform as good as we can. Moreover - we would probably not be interested in that at all. Stress is that extra zest, the spice that is added to our lives to make them more interesting, more than just passing days and years until retirement and death.
Working to succeed: Athletes do so much better in live competitions and with big crowds. It is thanks to stress that they succeed. A challenge is actually a setting of stress - and, as we all know, is the ultimate setting for achievement. Be it competition against peers, or even just to achieve a 'number' (salary, grade, target) - we are drawn to success by aims. And what supplies these aims with energy is - exactly - stress.
Sex: I don’t know many people who would give up sex. Albeit animalistic and instinctive by nature, this is still one of the biggest enjoyments of our lives. Well, sex without stress is impossible. Adrenaline, change of blood flow, excitement and hyper-arousal are necessary to sex. Taking this a step forward - recreation wouldn’t exist without stress. So, can stress be a good thing? Sometimes - it’s the best.
References
Atkinson et al. (1996), Hilgard's introduction to psychology (Ch. 15).
Greener, M. (1996), The Which? Guide to Managing Stress, (Ch.1, 4-5).
Gross R. and McIlveen, R. (1998), Psychology - a New Introduction, (Ch. 69-70).
Asaf
Rolef Ben-Shahar
Integrative Massage therapy
Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy
Potters Bar
http://www.IMT.co.il
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