Good Stress?

In our last blog post our guest student blog poster talked about stress. Most people think about stress as being a bad thing that occurs when negative things happen. That is only partially true. Stress can also happen when very good things happen like weddings, new jobs, the birth of our children, and vacation. A list of life events that may cause stress included in the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale includes marriage, pregnancy, retirement, marital reconciliation, gaining a new family member, change in finances, getting a mortgage, and changes in normal activity.

Stress can even be a good thing. Stress can motivate us to do things. It can help us to prepare for a test or a sporting event. It can help us ensure we are ready for a child to arrive. Stress helps us to meet the demands and accomplish things in our lives. Stress can also signal to us that we are in danger and need to get out of it. Stress might happen if you were being chased by a bear and the reaction that your body has to the stress in that case would help you to get away.

Stress becomes a bad thing when there is too much of it in our lives. Long term consequences from too much stress can include heart disease, weight gain, and depression and anxiety. The best thing you can do is monitor yourself to determine if stress is becoming too much. Signs of this can include:

·         Difficulty concentrating

·         Getting ill more often

·         Headaches

·         Irritability

·         Difficulty with sleep

·         Changes in appetite

If you experience any of these you may want to consider consulting with a mental health professional about how to more effectively manage the stress in your life.

Holmes TH, Rahe RH (1967). "The Social Readjustment Rating Scale". Journal of Psychosomatic  Research 11 (2): 213–8