Is Stress Good For Us?

[monster]

The BBC reports on a new book in which the author argues that we need to keep busy to be happy and live longer lives.

Author Todd Buchholz, a former economic advisor at the White House, says he began researching a book about people "chasing success and losing their souls". But when he looked into the subject, he changed his mind. He concluded that rather than slow down, we need to throw ourselves into the rat race, compete harder and relish the stress.

It kind of makes sense to me -I just can't slow down, it's not in my nature. It bothers me not to have stuff to be busy with, even though having lots to do sometimes leads to horrible looming deadlines and stuff.

I think this woman says it well

Lucy Kellaway, the Financial Times work commentator welcomed Buchholz's message with open arms. "I don't need to invoke my frontal lobe to know that he is right about me," she wrote this week. "I find losing myself much more rewarding than trying to find myself - and it's much easier to get lost in work than in the washing up." And it's only through hard work that you feel "sufficiently virtuous" to enjoy self-indulgence, she argues.

How about you? Do you thrive on stress or relish the idea of escaping from it all?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13791271

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by monster

How about you? Do you thrive on stress or relish the idea of escaping from it all?

I find that immersing myself in a task is escaping from it all. I have that single-mindedness, and don't concern myself with all the other bs in my life. YMMV

[glatt]

There are different kinds of stress. Stress where you can tackle something and make and see progress is probably good.

Stress where you have little or no control and feel overwhelmed is not good.

[infinite monkey]

I'm with glatt.

A certain amount of stress is necessary I think. For me, I'd probably easily become a slug, if I didn't have a 'special purpose.'

But prolonged stress over which you have no control or are not able to escape, I believe, causes the body to slowly break down.

When I get on a project and get moving and get somewhere, get results, I am exhilirated. I actually have to come down off an adrenaline high. But if I didn't ever have a day or two to decompress I would probably go completely nutso. (Yeah, I know...don't say it.)

The rat race is just that: for rats. I don't believe that a person who is under constant bad pressure could ever really be happy. To not be able to just stop and breathe and enjoy what you've done or made or made happen...that's not healthy.

You have to stop and snort the roses!

[classicman]

Well said glatt. For a long time I had the typical stress in my life, the former. Yes I made things worse at times by procrastinating, but the rush of completing things and achieving goals was wonderful. Sometimes to the point on pushing everything I could to the last moment possible, just to increase the "high" of still getting it done.

The last couple years have been very different. My life is completely different and I have very limited options. Some things simply will not change. Planning for the future now means planning for a life long after I am gone.
There are things that I have absolutely no control over, aside from my attitude, and they weigh very heavy on me - especially when I obsess on them.

Achievement solves the former and acceptance eases the burden of the latter.
That's about where I am now.

[piercehawkeye45]

So would it be that stress is good for us or challenging activity?

[infinite monkey]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

So would it be that stress is good for us or challenging activity?

Is stress good for challenging activity?

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

Is stress good for challenging activity?

Challenging activity produces stress and I see that as good in the same way as working out is good for your body. But just like you don't want to overdo a workout and strain yourself, having so much stress that it overwhelms you will cause problems.

[infinite monkey]

I was being part grammar nazi and part asking you if you were asking 'is stress good for us or is challenging activity good for us' or if you were asking 'is stress good for challenging activity' or in other words: is challenging activity enhanced by stress.

Your participle was dangling, or something.

[piercehawkeye45]

Gotcha. Point taken.

[Clodfobble]

What glatt/infinite monkey/classic said: I have to have control over my stress. I've even been known to deliberately add stress that I have control over, in order to prevent the stress that I have no control over slowly killing me.

[regular.joe]

A building doesn't stand with out stress. I think we are the same way in a lot of ways. Being honest about what I can and can't control is key.

So yea stress is good, challenge is good. Trying to control the uncontrollable....bad stress.