Can Stress Be Good for You? Seven Remarkable Benefits You Need to Know.

A moderate level of stress can be good for you. Find out how.

In modern times, we cannot remove ourselves from stress one way or the other in our lives. Long term, chronic stress can create an imbalance in your body and cause serious illness if not proactively dealt with. But what if a short burst of stress is good for you?

We have a very negative perception of the stress we face in our lives. It causes mental issues, makes us feel depleted, and brings down our capacity to have a happy, fulfilling life. But a little bit of stress in your everyday lives can make you feel alive and can give you that right burst of adrenaline to get things done.

How can stress be good for you?

When we are stressed, our heart rate increases, and our body goes into a fight or flight mode. The muscles tighten, and we have a higher degree of concentration. The entire body charges up in defense of the thing that causes us fear and anxiety.

Stress becomes beneficial for you when you get the same bodily response without the harmful effects of fear and anxiety. If you get supercharged with excitement and positivity, although your body will pump up the adrenaline and react as it does in a highly stressful situation, the effect will help you rather than cause you harm.

Psychologist calls the good stress as ‘Eustress.’ It is the stress that makes us feel excited.

You generate good stress when you are riding on a roller coaster or indulging in a healthy competition that makes your heart race with fun and excitement. A certain degree of good stress can get you out of the boredom of regular, mundane life and make you look forward with excitement and positivity.

How can you generate good stress in your life?

To inject some fun and excitement into your life and get the adrenaline flowing, move your body a little. Going for a brisk run around a park or listening to some fast preppy music will give you a rush of excitement that will make you feel proactive about life again.

Leave the same old routine behind and bring more excitement by going for new experiences. Ever tried hiking or camping in the wild? Why don’t you try them now? Savoring thrilling adventures that are a little outside your comfort zone will being in the rush of excitement back in your life.

Sometimes indulging in some healthy competition can also make you feel the zing of adventure. Sign up for some competitive games with your friends and get the adrenaline flowing.

Set healthy goals that stretch your abilities to get you moving again. Creating new ways to improve yourself will help you grow your talents and bring excitement back into your life.

What are the benefits of stress in your life?

1.Enhances motivation.

A little stress will help you focus more on the activities that are good for your well-being. It will motivate you to step out of your comfort zone and make a positive difference in your life.

2.Improves your cognitive abilities.

Little stress, if managed productively, actually helps you to improve your cognitive abilities. It is said that if you do not use a faculty, it might stop functioning properly. In aging adults leading a safe sedentary lifestyle, a little bit of positive stress can boost their adrenaline and improve their cognitive functions.

As per a 2013 research carried out to determine the effect of stress on our bodies, A certain degree of positive stress could protect against oxidative damage and help prevent aging and dementia in older people.

3.Improves bonding in relationships.

If you have always enjoyed relationships that are easy to handle, a certain degree of stress might test the strength of your relationship bonds. It can allow the bonds to grow stronger and more resilient. When you fight any outside conflict together, your trust in each other deepens, further solidifying your relationship in the long run.

When you feel threatened by stressful factors, you automatically reach out to support groups that will ultimately bring a more balanced way of looking at things in life.

4.Helps built resilience under challenging situations.

Suppose you have faced difficult situations in life and used your ability to overcome them. In that case, such experience helps you to grow beyond your limited comfort zone and strive to reach for more exciting adventures that would ultimately make you thrive.

Life prospers when you leave your known circumstances and dare to experience more. Unexpected twists and turns in life can help you improve your ability to adapt to changing circumstances and build resilience in the process.

5.Improves your immune system.

A recent study conducted by a Stanford University School of Medicine claimed that the hormones triggered by a short burst of stress could boost your immune system.

Studies show that a moderate degree of stress helps release a chemical called interleukins that gives your immune system a boost protecting you from annoying cold and other infections.

6.It helps in childhood development.

Although chronic and toxic stress in mothers gets passed on to the babies and leads to increased cortisol levels in newborns, certain studies claim a little stress in pregnant women might be good for their babies. A modest level of anxiety in pregnant women can lead to more advanced early childhood development.

7.Boost your memory.

A short burst of stress can make you focus more, which leads to a boost in your memory. If you have prepared for an exam on the last night, you have seen how quickly you can retain the facts. You seem to cover more ground than the time you have spent in the weeks before the exam. Moderate anxiety before a big event will likely help you perform better on the big day.

In preparation for a highly stressful situation, your sensory organs get positively charged and super focused on the problem at hand. You hear more acutely; your vision becomes sharper, and the brain works overtime to get you through the challenging situation.

Final Thoughts.

Though chronic or long-term stress can harm you by creating mental imbalance and mental health issues, a little bit of stress can help you by improving your cognitive skills, building resilience, and the ability to cope in difficult situations. The key is to balance the good and bad stress and let it move you towards more growth and positivity in your life.

Resources

https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience

https://news.berkeley.edu/2013/04/16/researchers-find-out-why-some-stress-is-good-for-you/