Study Shows Not All Stress is Bad
July 27th, 2009
A GoodTherapy.org News Summary
There are many industries devoted to helping people reduce stress surrounding certain events and in the course of day to day life, and with good reason; too much stress can have significantly adverse effects on mental and physical health. But a new study performed at the University of Buffalo with the use of laboratory mice has shown that some instances of stress can actually be beneficial for memory and performance. Aiming to provide evidence for the idea that short bursts of stress, during which the hormone cortisol is released, can be a positive event, the research team found that mice submitted to a brief forced swim were better able to complete a maze both shortly after the stress and a day later than were their unstressed counterparts. While therapists will likely continue to counsel clients on reducing stress, complete obliteration may not be the best answer.
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Comments
Isn’t it obvious that stress is necessary, without it nobody would get anything done. Why is it that researchers spend so much time finding evidence for things we already know?
Every college student that’s crammed for an exam the night before will agree with that. I’ve learned more in single evenings than in months of procrastination when I’ve been under the gun to produce results.
I think if we didnt have deadlines which is the reason for most stress we wouldnt do anything. We would all grow fat and lazy and definitely poorer.
I know that there are times when I am way more functional when I have a little more stress in my day. I know that may sound crazy, but no it does not give me anxiety or heart palpatations. It just gives me the motivation that I am sometimes lacking to get certain jobs done. And boy do I ever feel better about myself and the things that I have accomplished on those days! There are just too many people who live with that kind of stress everyday, and when they allow it to take over their lives and not use it in a way to stay motivated but use it instead as a downer, that is when the health problems which are stress related begin.
oh my goodness when I get stressed I’m like a deer caught in the headlights! My dh gets mad at me for letting myself get so bad. I don’t agree stress can be good for you, whether it’s a little or a lot.
Not all stress is bad huh? Check with my kids on my stressed out days. They may tell you otherwise.
I consider stress to be an early-warning sign. As a psychotherapist and certified mindfulness meditation instructor, I encourage my clients to notice what they are feeling in their bodies, and ask “what is this?” when they are feeling stress. It is then something workable. My personal early warning signs are irritability and forgetfulness — when I notice those signs, I know I need to slow down, turn off my cellphone, take a walk, meditate, cuddle with my cat and do whatever I need to do to de-stress.
I wasn’t aware forgetfulness was a symptom of stress. Thank you Beth for bringing that up. Do you get any physical symptoms too? I get this ball knotted up right in the middle of my chest of heaviness. My husband thinks I’m being metaphorical when I say that but I’m not.
My friend is a deadline junkie. He admits himself he does his best work when the chips are down and he suddenly has a crisis to deal with or a deadline brought forward. He thrives on stress. I tell him he’s crazy. He’s their man when they need a new lab mouse for the study LOL.
I recognize stress and also recognize I can’t do anything to change that in my life. I go into denial mode when I know I’m stressed. I ignore it because my problem is finding time to do what I should do to relax when I notice the signs like Beth said. That stresses me further.
What kind of person can’t find time to chill out? Crazy.
Thanks for the imput. Forgetfulness is definitely a sign of stress for me — everyone has their own “early warning signs”. That knot of heaviness in the middle of the stomach is another early warning sign for sure. Cassie, you can always take a 30 second “time out” and just breathe — that’s the beauty of mindfulness. I agree with you that we just don’t always take care of ourselves, and it is truly crazy that we have been programmed to always be on the go with no down time. It’s kind of nuts that it takes discipline to relax and chill out, but if we don’t we’ll burn out.
I schedule the time to relax in like I would if it were a dental appointment. Once you begin to find the time is there to do so it becomes easier to make a habit of that. This will sound silly. When I started, I got up only five minutes earlier and sat on the couch doing nothing apart from breathing. You can’t argue with yourself about finding five extra minutes. Make relaxing ridiculously easy to do, increase the time slowly and you’ll do it.
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