Stress is not evil
When we talk about stress, we should keep in mind that not all
stress is bad and that some stress is even vital.
It is needed for development of the species, be it a human or
any other mammal. Maybe you have heard the proverb "what doesn't
kill you, makes you stronger". It may sound exaggerated, but
it's true. Think about it: In order for you to progress in
anything, you need to be put first under pressure, or stress.
- What do you think that you do when working out or exercising?
You put your muscles under stress so that they get used to it.
And the next time they will be more prepared for it. They will
grow and adapt themselves.
- Or what do you do when learning something like a new language?
You challenge yourself. You progress, you learn and the next
time it will be much easier than the first time.
The world is a very competitive place. Think about yourself,
your possessions and desires as a small soap bubble in a bath.
Now imagine that there are zillions of bubbles outside and each
one is pressing against the others. In order to get your will
through (be it survival, fitness, success in job, etc), you need
to hold the pressure from inside or even push back. This inner
pressure is stress.
Stress is what is keeping everything going. If we were relaxed
and happy all the time, the world wouldn't progress anywhere.
But, luckily, we all have our desires that are against the will
of somebody else. This creates competition and makes our world
tick.
You see, stress is not evil. What is evil and can lead to
different mental and physical health problems is constant
stress.
If you are into bodybuilding you may know that too long and too
many workouts are not beneficial and even counterproductive.
Your muscles need rest to grow.
This also applies to anything else that is stressful. For
example, your job: You can work hard, support much stress, but
rest is also very important to avoid diseases and burning out.
And, like in bodybuilding, your productivity even decreases if
you don't give yourself the needed resting time.
Stress is not evil, too much stress without rest is.
A good rest must be relaxing. Many people think that they are
resting while they are not. That is what stress management is
all about: To teach you relax. Meditation, breathing
techniques, music, etc. - everything can help, but, like in
stress, something that is relaxing for one person may be not
for another.
All the different relax techniques are beyond the scope of this
article, but I hope I made you think about what stress really is
and, maybe, change your point of view. I am always open to any
suggestions, questions and discussions. Feel free to contact
me.