Is Stress Necessarily a bad thing?

Do you ever get up in a morning and think, I have a million things to do, and then just go go until you collapse, exhausted, in the evening?  And it repeats the next day, and the next, and at the end of the week, you ask yourself, where did the week go?  And then the month, and another year.  And you feel like all year long you're just running, trying to catch up with things that demand your attention. The stresses of every-day life gradually take their toll if we do not have the right attitude toward them. 

I have this book by Anne Woodham and Dr. David Peters. It calls itself a definitive guide to more than 90 alternative therapies and complimentary treatment options for over 200 health problems. Per this book, the Encyclopedia of Healing Therapies, stress is not necessarily a bad thing. It is an unavoidable part of our lives.  "A life without any challenge, with too little to do and too much time, can be as great a source of negative stress as too much work and too many deadlines."  So many good things out of this book.  The excitement to get to the aroma of fresh bread will pull us out of bed in the morning, of watching a game with our favorite soccer team, or the rush as you prepare for an interview that will take you to the next level in your career, those are all positive stressors and keep us going. Stressors, from being held at gun point by an armed robber to the repeated jarring ring of the telephone, are on a very broad spectrum and our body's natural response to stress, the "fight or flight" response which triggers biochemical stress hormones to fight impending danger, can be taxed to dangerously high levels.  Nowadays, stressors are much more psychological, emotional and mental. This book says that rapid successive episodes of psychological tension such as moving from a traffic jam to a work confrontation can cause stress hormones to accumulate and damage the body. 

"In 1982, US psychologist Suzanne Kobasa's research found that the ability to remain fit and cheerful under stress was linked to commitment to self, job, family, and community, the acceptance of change as part of life, a feeling of control over life, and the belief that you can influence events." - (Encyclopedia of Healing Therapies, Anne Woodham and Dr. David Peters, 1997 ed.)

Our attitude toward stress is key.  How we respond to stress, as optimists or as pessimists, makes a big difference. Luckily, we can choose to take a stance to change our attitudes toward stressors so that stress can become a more manageable, even positive, experience.  

I take myself, for instance, I have days where I think, "Good grief, if one more thing should happen, God help me..."  But I endeavor every day to make my full days balanced.  I have three wonderful kids and they are the spice of my day in the evenings.  I also make time for exercise and sports which I love.  To relax and enjoy a delicious meal while I watch an episode of a show I like.  Have a family outing after work or pause a moment to share a sassy detail with my hubby.  Call a family member who peps me up. Stop at intervals during my 12-hour work shift to chat with a colleague or two.  Attend a gathering and share core spiritual values with others.  Get up earlier than usual for a morning run in the crisp morning air. That is how I cope with my very full days. I make sure to interrupt the routine to destress with the things I enjoy.  

This Encyclopedia I am reading gives some helpful tips: 

• Arrive at work early enough to plan the day's tasks.
• Organize your day to avoid rushing.
• Become assertive: learn to say no so that you don't take on too much.
• Delegate: hand over jobs that other people can do.
• Prioritize tasks to make the most efficient use of time.
• Eat a light lunch, away from your place of work if possible.
• Avoid skipping meals and try to eat a balanced diet.
• Avoid working late and take a few quiet minutes alone after work.
• Make time for relaxation.
• Aim for 6-8 hours' sleep each night. 

So, I challenge you to examine how you are handling your own stressors, because it ultimately affects your health and quality of life. 

On a stressful day at work, I paused to catch a break

Shared this with a colleague and it made her day. Told her to remember to smile!

In my study group at nursing school, we had to pause and de-stress sometimes too!