Embracing Stress
I read a fascinating article about the coining of the term “stress,” and the regrets the scientist, Hans Selye, had in the misunderstanding of his work. Through a combination of poor explanation of concepts and mistakes in translation, we now have this belief that we can avoid stress or combat stress or reduce stress.
Meanwhile, in popular culture, stress quickly took on a negative connotation. The public’s understanding was that stress existed outside of ourselves and was to be avoided, which contradicted Selye’s position. He posited that stress was unavoidable, because it was literally a function of every adaptation to change. Even in our sleep, our heart still has to beat, we still need to breathe, our adrenal system is still responding to dreams, we’re still under stress, he told an interviewer for the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. “The opposite of stress is death,” he said.
In other words, the only way to avoid stress is to be dead. We want stress because stress means that we’re living. When you look at it that way, that stress is something within ourselves that we continually navigate (and that doing so is “living”), it becomes a relationship, albeit one built on “the gap between demand and capacity.”
I’ve been meaning to read Kelly McGonigal’s The Upside of Stress, and this article (which references her) nudged me to move it to the active to-read pile. I love this idea: “Rather than bemoaning stress or avoiding it, or worse, feeling proud of having an abundance of it, perhaps the best advice now is that we ought be practicing methods for transforming it.”
I like that idea of transforming stress and using it as fuel rather than something that needs to be swept out the door like tracked in dirt.
What will you do with your stress?
3 comments
Yes. I have had to learn to embrace stress and anxiety because unless I did so I would probably do nothing ever. I don’t do it perfectly and it’s often still a struggle but with practice I’ve gotten better over the years.
By virtue of my choice of careers (first hospital nurse, then attorney), I have had to deal with a certain level of (unavoidable) stress at work throughout my adulthood, even when I was able to minimize or eliminate stress outside of my jobs. While personal reactions to stress vary, I think that a lot of the effects of stress depend on how we view it and respond to it.
In both of my careers, I have been able to (mostly) view stress as a motivator, a way to sharpen my senses, and the “price” of doing work that is important to others’ well-being. So in that sense, I guess I do see stress as a fuel.
That said, although I am far from perfect and could do a better job with some stress reduction techniques (ahem, healthier eating and exercise), I am aware that sustained levels of stress can have a detrimental effect on health. I think I have done a pretty good job of minimizing the unhealthful effects of this higher-than-average level of stress at work through talking it out with trusted friends and family members, doing activities I enjoy to decompress (massage, reading, movies, hiking and others) and making sure that I get enough sleep. I have also tried to keep my personal life as “low drama” as possible, with varying degrees of success.
I guess time will tell what toll my stress has taken on me.
This is a really good reminder. One of my favourite things – travelling – can be very stressful, but mostly in a good way, a positive way, scary at times, yes, but also invigorating and inspiring.
The idea of embracing stress is a bit scary, because it sounds a little like the leaning in concept. Though I definitely like the idea of practicing methods for transforming stress, turning it into something manageable and positive. I hope you read it and report back!