Good stress: Even when you're under a cloud, there is a silver lining

Everybody feels stressed at times - it’s a normal part of being human

Excitement and stress produce similar physio-logical responses. The difference is emotional
context and perception. Experts argue that if we changed our perception of stress, we would deal with it better and maybe even use it to help us develop.

The body’s response to stress is ‘fight, flight, or freeze’. The reflex is part of our evolutionary wiring, our reaction to perceived threats or danger. These survival mechanisms are designed to protect us.

It is impossible to say if we are more stressed now than at any other time in human history, though we certainly talk a lot about being stressed and about possible solutions. 

Though, even if we are, it might not be such a bad thing... “Stress has a really bad rep,” says Paul D’Alton, associate professor at the School of Psychology, University College Dublin. 

“It is essential. If you didn’t experience stress, you wouldn’t get out of bed, cross the road, or do all the things you have to do. Psychology hasn’t always done a wonderful job of promoting the normality of stress, and the wellness industry promotes a stress-free life, suggesting that if we are experiencing stress, there is something wrong with us.”

Stress is necessary and might even benefit us. It is better to embrace stress as a catalyst for development and improved performance.

A 2012 study by the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin tracked 30,000 adults over eight years, asking them how much stress they experienced in the previous year and if they believed it was bad for their health. The researchers then checked public death records and found that some 43% of those who experienced stress in the previous year had an increased risk of dying if they believed that stress was harmful.

People who experienced high stress levels, but felt it did not affect their health, were less likely to have died than those who said they had no stress at all.

Stressed or just excited?

Excitement and stress produce similar physio- logical responses. The difference is emotional context and perception.

Experts argue that if we changed our perception of stress, we would deal with it better and maybe even use it to help us develop.

In 2012, a Harvard study, titled Changing the Conceptualisation of Stress, found that participants who were taught that stress responses, such as an increased heart rate, could enhance their performance achieved better results in a maths test.

The following year, a report in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found improved productivity and reduced negative health symptoms in employees trained to adopt a stress-is-enhancing mindset.

Of course, there are times when stress (caused by circumstances and situations) becomes too much and unmanageable, and intervention is needed.

“There’s a two-week rule of thumb,” says Paul D’Alton. “If you’re experiencing symptoms of stress for more than a fortnight and it’s intruding on your life, then you need to think about doing something. 

Dr Paul D'Alton: "Am I irritable, am I despondent, and can I pull it back? A few days of it can be expected, but if it goes on for longer than two weeks, then it might need attention.” Picture: Mark Condren.

"Is it intruding on your sleep or your consumption, what you’re eating and drinking, or if you’re taking drugs? That includes social media and virtual consumption.”

The biggest red flag is how stress impacts your relationships, says D’Alton. 

“Am I irritable, am I despondent, and can I pull it back? A few days of it can be expected, but if it goes on for longer than two weeks, then it might need attention.”

In terms of a response, D’Alton says that simple measures are the key to keeping stress levels balanced: “We can sometimes think about very sophisticated responses to stress, but it’s looking after the basics, That’s diet, exercise and sleep.”

We also need to look at our virtual consumption. 

“Take notifications off your phone. Those notifications tap in to that ancient part of the brain that keeps us on edge. It’s really important to know what’s happening in the world, but have a dedicated time for the news. That pinging constantly puts the brain on high alert.” 

He also suggests talking to someone you trust. “When you name it, you can do something about it.”

All part of being human

We’re a social race, and being connected to our community can make a vital difference to our mental health, says D’Alton. “When we are stressed, we tend to go into ourselves and shut down, because the world becomes threatening. A real antidote to that is involvement in our community and social support networks.”

A 2024 study from the McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Massachusets Institute of Technology) found that a cognitive strategy focused on social good may help people cope with stressful events.
Researchers instructed participants in two opposing techniques:

1) The well-established cognitive strategy of distancing, where participants mentally remove themselves from a stressful situation.

2) The ‘social good’ approach, a newer strategy where individuals were encouraged to view the situation as an opportunity to help others.

Participants were then shown a random sequence of banal and disturbing images, chosen to evoke emotional responses. Both methods reduced negative emotions, with the well-worn distancing method being slightly more effective. 

However, the study showed that people who leaned into the social good approach were more likely to view stress as enhancing rather than debilitating.

D’Alton says: “This idea that if we feel any degree of stress, there is something wrong with us, is incorrect. It keeps us sharp and allows us to manage tricky situations. Stress is part of what it means to be human.”