STRESS: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Stress is a much used and stressful word used in our lives today. When someone says they are stressed, we feel sympathetic and try to comfort them. We try to alleviate their stress, if we feel empathetic toward them.

STRESS has become a much-feared word in today's world and people try and avoid it as much as possible.

But do we need to feel afraid of stress? Is it such a bad thing that we need to avoid it at all costs?

I was curious to find out the real meaning of the word stress, so I checked with the online dictionary and found this.

Stress,? the noun has two meanings

1. pressure or tension exerted on a material object.

Example: "the distribution of stress is uniform across the bar"

2. a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

Example: "he's obviously under a lot of stress"

There is nothing inherently negative in the meaning itself. But the images that come to our mind when we hear someone is under stress are perhaps negative and we may have to relook at the way we look at stress.

Without stress, you and I will not be here. When I was born, my mother had to undergo massive pain and stress before I got out. When our earth was born and till it evolved to where it is, it experienced massive stress and still is experiencing stress.?

From our conception (during stressful intercourse) to our birth, to the clothes we wear, the shelter we stay in, the food that we eat, the products we use, etc every single thing we are enjoying are the outcomes of some stress or the other.

Out of stress comes something beautiful that is useful for many people.

Stress is a sign of life.

No stress is a sign of death.

How we look at stress and deal with it marks our success or failure in this life

Let us start by distinguishing the different types of stress. I would like to classify stress into three types - The Good Stress, The Bad Stress, and The Ugly Stress

The Good Stress

Good stress is what we welcome into our lives and willingly take on because of the benefits it gives us.

Examples of good stress are:

• Joining a gym or a fitness program to improve your body, physical energy or self-discipline
• Joining a training or self-help program to improve the results you are getting in your life
• Joining a company or role where you know you will be put under a lot of pressure, just because you want to go through the grind and come up shining
• Deciding to get married just because you want to explore that aspect of your life that needs you to adjust with others, bear children and bring up a family
• Going on an adventure trip because you want to feel the thrill of danger, look it in its face, and overcome your fears and internal demons
• Starting a business and willing to take risks that can have the potential of showering massive rewards??

Well, you get the picture now I hope. You can add a lot more from your life or other people’s lives to this list.

They are basically stressful experiences that we willingly submit to so that we become a better version of ourselves. This is good stress.

Is it possible for me to get a body that I will be proud of if I do not go and work it out in a gym? Stressing and breaking those old muscles help me build new ones

Can I develop a strong mind if I did not learn how to solve problems by facing them square on? Stressing the neurons and killing them, help new ones grow and evolve into stronger synaptic connections. A mind which has never undergone stress will never grow. We'll never be able to handle anything. We will become a weakling who just wants to curl up and die.?

So why do I feel the need to be afraid of stress? Why do I use stress as a bad word?

How to overcome The Good Stress

Good stress is what we willingly take on knowing that it helps us grow. You create stressful situations and environments that will help you and the people around you grow.?

When we try to maintain a stress-free environment or condition, there will be no growth there. Good stress must be welcomed because it is a sign of life and a sign of growth.

So we need not look at how to overcome the good stress.

Imagine the life of a high-performance athlete. He or she willingly takes on the physical and mental training required to shine in their chosen sport. They willingly take on pain, knowing that it is making them into a better person.

They know how to manage their stress by planning their rest and recovery. Adequate naps, sleep, mixing of activities, and more … to break the monotony of continual high stress.

You can also manage your stress better, by taking a break, taking deep breaths, doing some other more relaxing activity, taking a nap, sleeping at the right time and for the right duration, spending time in nature, etc,

Good stress is good for you. Welcome it. Treat it well and send it away when it is time to do so.

The Bad Stress.

Bad stress is what we face when we have brought it upon ourselves due to some poor choices that we made in the past.

• If I got a pulmonary disease or cancer because I smoked heavily that would be bad stress.
• If I have to answer creditors because I took loans indiscriminately and spent beyond my means, that would be bad stress.
• If I have liver cirrhosis because I drank alcohol regularly and without limits, then I would be suffering from bad stress.
• If my marriage failed because I could not control my libido and was busy having sexual encounters outside my marriage, I would have the face the stress of a broken family.
• If I am addicted to tobacco, alcohol, substances, shopping, sex, gambling, etc I would need to pay the price for my addiction at a later stage

When we decide to make choices that gives us pleasure in the immediate term without paying any attention to its long term consequences, then we need to face the music sooner or later.

Short-term pains

often lead to long-term gains.

Short-term gains

often lead to long-term pains?

Examine your choices. Are you trading your short-term gain for a long-term pain??

Wouldn’t it be more gainful to embrace the immediate stress so that you don’t need to suffer from massive stress in the future?

How to overcome The Bad Stress?

Bad stress is a consequence of our past actions and we can start by taking responsibility for our role in it. When we face bad stress with awareness and clarity we would be able to find the causative factors and the remedial actions that are available for us. When we reject the bad stress and treat it as an enemy to be avoided we create more of it.

• Accept the situation
• Take responsibility for the situation
• Take responsibility for the solution
• Take a breather, Rest, Recover and Respond

You will be surprised how many problems get solved when you sleep over them. Responding immediately and increasing your own stress is not the solution. Take stock, become aware of your options, all your options, sleep over it and make a decision that seems correct to you.

Every problem has a solution. Keep your head and find it. The universe and you have the solution to every problem. Find it.

The Ugly Stress

Ugly stress is what we face when it is thrust upon us because of some external macro events. Ugly stress catches us suddenly and can overwhelm us in a short time if we do not respond adequately and in time.

Examples of ugly stress are:

1. You are caught up in a war zone and your home and livelihood is affected suddenly, like it happened in Ukraine and your life itself is in danger.
2. You are caught in a major weather event and your choices are very limited and your survival may be at stake
3. You are a victim of a violent crime that could not be predicted or avoided
4. An accident where you are the unwitting sufferer

You get the picture I hope. There are many more such examples and you can add them to this list.

How to deal with Ugly Stress?

Our response will determine how the ugly stress affects us. We first need to accept that we are in a vulnerable position and that we need to secure the immediate survival of ourselves and those we are responsible for. Next, we need to take the actions that are available to us to secure our survival and continued well-being.?

Your mind is very powerful and can find the right solutions if you give it the right environment to do so. Trust in yourself and the universe to find the right solutions for you. Keep a clear mind and gather whatever data or intelligence you can about the situation and let your mind go to work to find the solutions.?

Rest and Recovery are very important to overcome stress and find solutions. Give yourself a breather as and when required, take deep breaths, take a nap if required, get as much sleep as your body needs and let your mind go to work to search and find the right solutions that will get you out of the fix.

Conclusion:

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Stress can all be turned to our advantage if we learn how to deal with it right. We become better people when we have handled and overcome stress. We are stronger and ready to become the next-level version of ourselves.

Embrace stress. Take adequate time off for Rest and Recovery. Sleep well every night and become stronger every day.?

The next version of yourself requires that stress to break your old self and build the new self. And to be alive our next version needs to be born every day.