By Logan Call
“Stress acts as an accelerator: it will push you either forward or backward, but you choose which direction.”
Stress seems to be a daily burden that many of us share in modern society. Our car breaks down, we get an extra load at work, and our kids can drive us crazy. We rant about it to our friends and family and often have no idea of what to do about it. It can be very difficult to figure out how to manage or minimize stress. Here’s the good news; stress isn’t all bad for us. Stress can actually be a positive thing in our lives, but only if we let it.
Stress has been a constant companion in my own life, one that was often an unwelcome guest. I still remember my first efforts to eradicate it completely from my life, and much to no one’s surprise but my own, the attempt was largely unsuccessful. In trying to eat healthier, exercise, and drag my feet to get to bed at a decent hour, I was perplexed when my stress didn’t magically vanish. Instead, I felt like it added new stresses as I realized I wasn’t perfectly implementing my well thought out plan! What I didn’t realize at the time was that we will always have stress, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Let’s dive into positive and negative stress, how to change our outlook on it, and how to minimize bad stress in our lives.
Researchers have found that there is generally good stress and bad stress, also called eustress and distress. Distress is the bad type, seen as harmful, negative, and undesirable. Eustress is seen as more desirable, positive, and advantageous (Branson et al., 2019). Interestingly enough, our attitudes actually have a large effect on how we view each challenge, and therefore what category the incident is placed in. For instance, having our car break down is never fun, but it could be the excuse we’ve been waiting for to see about that different model we’ve had our eye on. Viewing even more assignments at work can be seen as a challenge instead of a burden. This could be your big opportunity to show your boss how capable you are for that new position and really shine! And kids can be a handful at the best of times but raising them is a wonderful opportunity to see them grow and flourish. But does it really make a difference on how we view stress? Researchers again tell us yes!
One study with the University of Wisconsin (Keller et al., 2012) dug into the lives of thousands of Americans to see both how stressed they were, and how they perceived that stress. With their results, they found that, “Both higher levels of reported stress and the perception that stress affects health were independently associated with an increased likelihood of worse health and mental health outcomes” (Keller et al., 2012). They went on to surmise that a negative outlook on stress could even make one more prone to premature death! Absolutely something we want to avoid. Similarly, viewing stress as potentially positive can also have healthy results. Researchers at Harvard looked at specific body responses as we view stress in both a negative and a positive way (Jamieson et al., 2012). They found that participants who were able to switch their view of stress to a more positive light showed signs of more adaptive cardiovascular stress responses, including increased cardiac efficiency and lower vascular resistance (Jamieson et al., 2012). So, a positive outlook on stress can put less strain on your heart and body, just by changing the way we think of our stress; what’s not to love?
Changing our mindsets can be a big process, and it won’t remove all bad stress from our lives. Luckily, there’s a lot more that we can do to continue to improve the healthy stress in our lives. Here are six tips that will help you to decrease bad stress and increase good stress into your life.
Meditation and Mindfulness
It’s always a great idea to take a break for a minute and just breathe. You don’t have to be a Buddhist monk or a professional yogi to take a minute to clear the clutter of your mind or just focus on that moment. A little pause from the rigors of the day and some deep breathing can go a very long way!
Exercise
All of us know it’s important to exercise, but it can be so hard to go to the gym for hours every day and like every moment of it. Luckily, we don’t have to be Olympic athletes to enjoy the benefits of exercise. Even just 30 minutes of moderate exercise in 5 days of the week can significantly improve our health. Find something that you are comfortable with and will enjoy. Playing tennis, going on a brisk walk, or doing push ups during commercial breaks are simple ways to get into a healthier mindset.
Sleep Habits
It can be so tempting to read just one more chapter, watch one more episode, or finish just this last task, especially when it’s late at night and the rest of the household is sleeping. If we aren’t careful though, one more can turn into 2 a.m. all too quickly! It can be hard to get up in the morning to go about our daily grind but doing so is important in creating a good routine. Getting up at the same time is a great way to start your day off right and get your body into the rhythm of getting moving. Get the sleep that feels right for you, and you will be much more able to tackle whatever life throws at you that day!
Eating
Having a healthy diet can go a long way in living a balanced life. Junk food may seem cheaper, easier, quicker, and more appealing, but they don’t do much for us in the long run. Try to keep a balanced and healthy diet in a way that works for you. You don’t need anything fancy, especially when you already have so much else going on. Remember, you aren’t a contestant on Top Chef, so feel free to make simple, healthy food that is tasty and works for you.
Taking Breaks
Having periodic breaks is important. Often, we get caught up in the rush of life, hustling from one task to the next without a break. If we aren’t taking breaks, we can become fatigued and be less and less efficient at our tasks. Taking periodic breaks can help us reset and recharge, and help us be more efficient, even if it seems paradoxical. Taking short breaks between tasks, and occasional vacations from the day to day can help to keep us fresh and vibrant during life’s constant grind.
Good Relationships
Everyone needs some sort of support network in their lives. We all have different challenges and struggles we cope with, so it’s important to have family, friends, and maybe a therapist to talk to. Creating connections with new people, or reconnecting with old friends are both great ways to minimize or deal with the negative stress in our lives. Focusing on taking some time to make small connections can be a big stress relief and enrich our lives. This can be as simple as giving someone a short phone call or getting to know a coworker you haven’t talked with much.
Try out several different methods to see what works best for you! In the end, our health is important. This is your body, you are going to have it your entire life, so you might as well take care of it! Marinating our health can go a long way to minimizing bad stress and maximizing good stress. As we continue to take care of ourselves, our efficiency and capacity to take on life’s challenges will grow.
“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering”
REFERENCES
Alinda, S. (2015, April 27). How to turn stress into a good thing. Greater Good. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_turn_stress_into_a_good_thing
Branson, V., Turnbull, D., Dry, M. J., & Palmer, E. (2019). How do young people experience stress? A qualitative examination of the indicators of distress and eustress in adolescence. International Journal of Stress Management, 26(3), 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1037/str0000102
Jamieson, J. P., Nock, M. K., & Mendes, W. B. (2012). Mind over matter: Reappraising arousal improves cardiovascular and cognitive responses to stress. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(3), 417–422. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025719
Keller, A., Litzelman, K., Wisk, L. E., Maddox, T., Cheng, E. R., Creswell, P. D., & Witt, W. P. (2012). Does the perception that stress affects health matter? the association with health and mortality. Health Psychology, 31(5), 677–684. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026743
Mayo Clinic Health System. (2019, September 18). 5 tips to manage stress. Mayo Clinic Health System. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/5-tips-to-manage-stress
Stoll, M. (n.d.). 10 Simple Ways to Cope With Stress. Sutter Health. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/mind-body/10-simple-ways-to-cope-with-stress