POSITIVITY
Stressed & thriving
When you modify your mindset, stress can help you to build resilience and reach your goals, writes Annabel Chown
I’ve barely slept; my four-year-old was awake coughing for most of the night. Our boiler has decided to pack up on this chilly autumn morning. And I have writing deadlines to meet, where I feel out of my depth. My mind flashes back to the previous weekend, spent alone with my husband in a timber cabin in Kent woodland; a Saturday afternoon lying on the sofa, warmed by the flames of a log burner. I’d read a novel, then drifted off into a nap. If only I were back there, I think as, shivering, I boil kettles of water for a wash. Yet, while a part of me would love to escape, my brain is also whirring with ideas for my articles, and I’m scribbling them down with one hand while heating my son’s milk with the other. I may feel overstretched and somewhat on edge. But, equally, I’m focused, and excited to have the opportunity to write these pieces.
Stress has a bad reputation. We’re often wary of it, fearful of the damage it might wreak. And while there’s no denying the negative impact of conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder or burnout. But is stress intrinsically problematic? Can it also be a positive force, particularly when brought on by things that have meaning to us?
‘Our body’s stress response is biologically protective,’ explains Daniela Kaufer, a professor of neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. ‘When a threat comes along, our heart rate and blood pressure increase, making us more alert, and able to respond adeptly. Stress can certainly be beneficial – but we also need to ensure the response isn’t permanently switched on.’
How can we gauge what’s a beneficial amount of stress? ‘It’s very individual,’ says Kaufer. ‘We have unique genetics and grew up in different environments.
Plus, it can change across our lives. For some people, lots of adrenaline is good: they thrive in demanding jobs, where they feel alive and at their best. For others, that would be terrifying.’
She agrees that how we’re feeling is a good guide as to whether we’re operating in stress’s sweet spot, o
