Good Stress and Bad Stress
Yep they both exist…
We all feel stressed some of the time and most of us think it’s a bad thing. However we need stress or let’s say stressors to help move us along our daily life and activities. What am I talking about?
Good Stress – What is it?
It’s basically bursts of energy that come in small and large doses depending on the situation. An example of a good stress is when you set yourself a fitness challenge e.g. to run a certain distance – you have a go, it feels stressful in part but you succeed and feel pretty good about it. Another example is when you set a goal e.g. to save money for a holiday – you have to go without some things which may feel stressful in the short term but in the end you get the reward of the holiday which makes it all worth it.
Some work site examples of good stress might be deadlines you have to get a job done and when you make it in good time with no incidents you and the whole team feel proud about the achievement.
Really stress can be a motivator and something that pushes us to get things done. So you see there are positive aspects. Some stress is chosen (the holiday savings) and some comes along as part of the every day (the job that needs doing).
In fact some people say that stress is critical for our survival however too much stress of any kind – emotional, physical, financial etc. can do harm to you and others around you.
Bad Stress – What’s the difference?
Stress becomes bad or harmful when it doesn’t go away. If you are constantly stressed and you have more than one stressor going on in your life then you will really begin to feel the pain or discomfort of it. See if you can easily remove or change what’s becoming stressful. Sometimes this alone can help.
Things that can happen when we have stress that doesn’t go away or that we can’t control include:
- Inability to concentrate on work or home tasks
- Getting sick more easily
- Body aches and pains
- High blood pressure
- Headaches
- Generally being irritable and hard to get along with
- Having trouble getting a good night’s sleep
- Eating too much of the wrong things or not enough of the right things
- Drinking or taking drugs to try and forget what’s happening around you
How can you manage bad stress?
On site you could choose a manager or person you trust to talk about it. If it’s about work try and negotiate to change things and find solutions. Some easy quick things to help feel better are exercising, finding ways of relaxing to balance out the stressful times, drinking less coffee and not self medicating.
When home you can share it with your partner or utilise your work Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to find a neutral person to speak too.
Most stress passes and you need to manage your way through it. Some takes longer and some may be out of your control. The last kind of stress may mean you just have to learn to ‘live with it’ and find a different way of reacting and responding to the situation. If a thing or stress becomes intolerable and you can’t change it – you may have to make bigger life decisions about changing jobs or relationships. But don’t do this until you’ve had a good go at solving it.
Reference material for this post can be located here.