Can stress be a good thing? Can it heighten experience, help bring individual creativity to our work?
YES. “Stress illuminates our values,” says Dr. Larina Kase psychologist, author. “If we didn’t care about something, we wouldn’t worry about it.” Also, Daniela Kaufer, doctor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley states: “You always think about stress as a really bad thing, but it’s not. Some amounts of stress are good to push you just to the level of optimal alertness, behavioral and cognitive performance.”
These researchers often say that the most stressful job you will ever have is also the best.
STUDIES CONCERNING BURSTS OF STRESS
Dr. Kaufer found in studies with rats, that brief stressful events caused the stem cells in their brains to proliferate into new nerve cells…and two weeks later, when the cells matured, they exhibited improved mental performance.
Conclusion: acute stress – short-lived, not chronic – primes the brain for improved performance. “I think intermittent stressful events are probably what keeps the brain more alert, and you perform better when you are alert,” Dr. Kaufer states.
That would certainly apply to careers like policing, fire fighters, ER medicine, anything that requires keeping people safe in a short amount of time.
WAYS YOU KNOW YOU WERE UNDER STRESS … and you then felt a major change. It’s called decompression. When I worked the 3-11 shift and was racing home along the Dan Ryan Expressway, I was still going over my charting–did I remember to do this? But once off that roadway, I often pulled out my phone, calling the unit to check with the night staff. Then much later, when I finally got into bed, I could feel my body vibrating, like a string on an instrument that refuses to settle.
But I was fortunate to work part time. Yes, there were Monday mornings after a working weekend when I could hardly get out of bed. But days off gave me time to care for my family, plan babysitting, meals, and spend more time with my daughter and son–one in high school , one in grade school. I wanted to “have it all” — family, home, amazing career. And I did. But I also learned about the stress. The glamour of working and parenting–well, it isn’t always that glamourous.
HOW MUCH STRESS IS TOO MUCH…IN ANY OCCUPATION?
Dr. Kaufer: “I think the ultimate message is an optimistic one. Stress can be something that makes you better, but it is a question of how much, how long and how you interpret or perceive it.” Paul J. Rosch MD, president of the American Institute of Stress compares stress to the tension in a violin string. “Not enough produces a dull, raspy noise, and too much results in an annoying shrill or snaps the string. However, just the right amount of stress creates pleasing sounds.”
Being addicted to stress isn’t good for overall health, but used correctly, it can help you achieve a goal—as long as you train your body to relax in the achievement of that goal. Downtime is important.
“Stress is a burst of energy,” says psychiatrist Dr. Lynne Tan of Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “It’s our body telling us what we need to do.”
DO YOU LOVE A JOB THAT IS STRESSFUL?
You probably do if it encompasses moderate amounts of stress, that sudden burst described above. You get the cascade of hormones that helps your mind and body rise to the occasion, perform the needed task. And your brain remembers. During stress you are emotionally challenged, but you are also mostly in control–and when it’s over, you have a sense of accomplishment.
Some experts even say that this kind of stress improves heart function and makes the body resistant to infection. And of course it stimulates us–in a good way. “Focus the energy like a laser beam on what you need to do,” says Dr. Tan. “Very successful people, rather than feeling disempowered, take the extra stress energy … and make it into a high-energy, positive situation.” I think that’s why many ER doctors and nurses, firefighters and other people employed in stressful jobs stay healthy and love the work they do.
HEALTHY TAKE-AWAY
Constant exposure from stress hormones, the fight or flight response, can cause high blood pressure, depression, mental fogginess, frequent colds, autoimmune diseases like arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. It’s necessary to be aware of stressful periods and to learn from them. What are your symptoms? What is your stress telling you? Dr. Kase reminds us of the importance of balance in life: “Research shows that we tend to be happiest when we go with our gut. It’s hard to hear your intuition when you’re in a cycle of worry and stress. So give yourself a break—take a long walk, get a good night’s sleep or go out for a bite to eat.” Great advice. And though your job might have periods of total stress, you handle them, you learn from them, you love your job–it’s the best.
2 Responses
I loved this, Beth. As someone who feels stress often, it’s nice to think that it’s not always bad. In fact, I love the saying that stress illuminates our values. What a great way to determine what we really love in life.
Great post, Beth. Thanks