Is Stress Always Bad? Uncovering the Myths

 by Annabel Heaton

Epinephrine

We have all felt some kind of stress at some point in our lifetime, whether that be rooted from education or sport or even at this point in time a pandemic. While stress affects everyone in different ways, there are two major types of stress: stress that’s beneficial and motivating — good stress — and stress that causes anxiety and even health problems — bad stress. Here’s more on the benefits and side effects of stress and how to tell if you’re experiencing too much stress. 

A benefit of stress, or known as eustress (good 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. In addition, 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. 

Of course, stress can have negative impacts too such as poor health, worsening grades and lowers sleep quality- emphasising how this can be negative on students and people of all varieties in everyday life. Some people think any type of stress is bad, but this isn’t the case. In truth, all stress is not created equal. Obviously, when you’re overwhelmed and under pressure it’s hard to see the silver lining. And if someone told you stress is beneficial to your health, you might laugh them off or suggest they have their head examined. But there’s validity in this statement. This doesn’t mean you should make your life as complicated and stressful as possible. The saying “stress kills” couldn’t be a truer statement. When chronic stress — which is the bad type — dominates your thoughts day in and day out, it does a number on your body, causing anxiety, tiredness, high blood pressure, depression, etc. But although you should do whatever it takes to avoid this type of relentless mental abuse, you should welcome moderate doses of stress with open arms. Humans (as claimed previously) have a flight-or-fight response, which is an inborn physiological reaction that occurs when they’re under attack. Your body is wired to handle everyday, normal stressors, and when your natural defences kick in, your well-being improves. 

So, before you coin stress as the “bad guy,” consider some of these surprising health benefits. These include: improving cognitive functions, helps keep you away from the common cold, makes people more resilient and even enhances development in children. So, next time you feel stressed, identify whether it is a positive or negative stress before panicking. This can be a positive experience as well as a negative experience, it's all how you approach and treat this situation.