How bad is stress, really?
Here lately, it seems like the term “stress” automatically carries a lot of negative connotation. If left unchecked, stress can get a bit out of hand, for sure…but, before we completely vilify the word, maybe we should reevaluate just a bit.
First off, I’m not super sure there will ever be such thing as a “stress-free” life.
Hear me out on this.
I know articles may pop up in your feed or on television claiming they can offer this or that to help you de-stress every aspect of your day-to-day. If you find the right one that does it, please forward it directly to me. I’d love to know about it!
But tell me something you have absolutely zero stress over and you’ll likely be telling me of something about which you have zero care or concern.
**Most of the time** we are stressing about things because they are important to us and we care about them.
This is where a mindset coach would probably be encouraging you to try and reframe your thinking to consider your stress as a positive. You know…like an opportunity to become stronger or to work harder toward something of significance to you.
And I’m here for that reframing concept, if that works for your situation. I think perspective is huge in terms of our relationship with stressors and our personal resilience.
But it might not be effective for all of us all of the time.
As individuals, we each have very different thresholds for dealing with difficulty. And how our brains perceive and respond to struggle can play a big role on our stress levels (and thus our mental health).
If, just maybe, we could adjust our perspective and see even a couple of these challenging things through a less negative lens, it very well might be advantageous.
All that being said, I’m not going to end by claiming whether I think stress is good or bad. I’m merely pointing out that stress is stress. And, if we have things we care about, it’s going to be a part of our lives.
Rather than intuitively labeling your stress as your enemy, it might not hurt to take a deep breath and think a little about what you’re stressing over and why. Then you can begin taking some steps to process appropriately.
