It turns out, stress can be good for you… to a certain degree.
Researchers are learning more about how positive stress can be beneficial both for your mind and body.
However, too much stress or chronic stress has the opposite effect. In fact, it makes it much harder for you to be able to cope with difficult situations as they arise. Conversely, having too little stress can also be problematic.
Therefore, it appears that there is what one could call a “stress sweet spot.”
This ideal zone allows for just the right amount of stress without overdoing it. Consider how this works.
How You Respond to Stress
Your body is designed to respond to stressful situations. When you experience stress, you release hormones inside your body. These include adrenaline and cortisol. Both serve important functions.
The adrenaline helps you to stay focused in the moment. Whereas, cortisol influences the glucose levels in your body to create energy. Also, a temporary bump in cortisol levels is useful for boosting neuron growth in the hippocampus. This is the part of your brain responsible for memory.
Each hormone is important because they enable you to better respond to the cause of the stress.
Eons ago this positive stress would have influenced how humans dealt with an external threat, such as a predator. And thus, in the modern age, this stress response could help with everything from avoiding a collision while driving to dealing with a hard day at the office.
When There’s Too Much Stress
As noted at the outset, we do know that experiencing excessive stress is not good for either your mind or your body.
Chronic stress occurs when you are subjected to stress over a prolonged period of time. In fact, in some cases, people are exposed to stress for years or even decades.
Those who experience chronic stress may see a downturn in their cognitive skills. Plus, it puts them at greater risk for developing medical problems such as diabetes, obesity, and sleep problems.
When You Have Too Little Stress
If experiencing chronic stress is way too much, it’s important to consider that too little stress is not helpful either.
When you think about it, if you are not occasionally experiencing some kind of stress, you are not being challenged. Stress helps us to improve, to perform better, and to push our limits. Too little or no stress causes you to become lethargic and unmotivated.
Of course, the right amount of stress varies from person-to-person. However, knowing what amount of stress you can handle and occasionally pushing your boundaries can be very beneficial.
Finding the Stress Sweet Spot
Having just the right amount of stress can be beneficial. How so?
For example, let’s say that you are a college student with an assignment due the next morning. The stress created by the deadline causes you to focus your attention and to write the paper before the deadline is up. (Hopefully, though, this doesn’t happen to you often!)
Another example is exercise. When you have a strenuous workout, your body must adjust to cope with the stress that you are imposing on it. Of course, this only lasts for a brief period (let’s say an hour or so). Afterward, you have plenty of time to recover so that you can get back to the gym the next day.
In either of these cases, stress is effective and beneficial—ergo, in the sweet spot!
—
It’s time that we changed our perspective of stress. Of course, too much stress is not a good thing at all. Yet, on the other hand, some stress can be beneficial in the right amount.
Knowing your stress sweet spot will help you to not only cope with difficult situations. Positive stress will allow you to challenge yourself and push your limits, allowing continuous growth.
However, if you struggle with stress management, consider getting help through anxiety treatment. I would enjoy helping you learn to manage your anxiety and take advantage of the positive side of stress.
