Thoughts on Stress
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” ~ William James
Good vs. Bad Stress…
There are millions of articles on stress.
Lots of explanations and lots of bullet points on how to manage or cope with stress.
Don’t stress over the small things…
Don’t stress out…
Don’t be the victim of stress…
There is no such thing as a stress-free life.
Once we understand that stress is just a natural part of our life we can deal with it appropriately.
Trying to eliminate it is a fool’s errand.
Just the attempt to achieve even small goals causes stress.
The attempt to achieve stretch goals causes more.
The challenge is to maintain a balance between good vs. bad stress!
Stress is key for survival, but too much stress can be detrimental.
Emotional stress that stays around for weeks or months can weaken the immune system and cause high blood pressure, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and even heart disease.
In particular, too much epinephrine can be harmful to your heart.
It can change the arteries and how their cells are able to regenerate.
The benefit of Stress…
According to experts, stress is a burst of energy that basically advises you on what to do. In small doses, stress has many advantages. For instance, stress can help you meet daily challenges and motivates you to reach your goals.
In fact, stress can help you accomplish tasks more efficiently. It can even boost memory.
Stress is also a vital warning system, producing the fight-or-flight response. When the brain perceives some kind of stress, it starts flooding the body with chemicals like epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol.
This creates a variety of reactions such as an increase in blood pressure and heart rate.
Plus, the senses suddenly have a laser-like focus so you can avoid physically stressful situations — such as jumping away from a moving car — and be safe.
In addition, there are various health benefits with a little bit of stress. Researchers believe that some stress can help to fortify the immune system. For instance, stress can improve how your heart works and protect your body from infection. In one study, individuals who experienced moderate levels of stress before surgery were able to recover faster than individuals who had low or high levels.
The Take-Away…
As performance experts, we can attest to the stress inherent in high achievement.
Take a look at Buck Rodgers famous quote…
“There are countless ways of achieving greatness, but any road to achieving one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.”
The obvious stress-inducing choices we must make in attempting to live this quote is breathtaking!
The balance between a life of excellence and the acceptance of mediocrity is, by its nature, a very stressful pursuit.
You are up to this pursuit.
There will be stress.
Embrace it!
E. R. Haas, CEO The TQ Smart Family of Companies
PS. One of the things you can do to improve GOOD stress and lessen BAD stress is to download The Time Prism and permit it to mentor you all day long. Benefit? You work smarter and produce better results. Which promotes happiness, success and the joy of living a life that matters!
Go to Your App Store and Search For: TIMEPRISM
Or simply click here…
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“Education Is Not the Learning of Facts, But the Training of the Mind To Think.” ~ Albert Einstein
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Category: Editorials
