I think the biggest misconception I had about stress most my life was that it was always bad. Certainly an Olympic athlete applies stress to the muscles and mind before a race. In the same way, our bodies benefit by some stress at the appropriate times. Stress, for example, that drives me to spend one day a week making all my copies/handouts for my students ends up relieving me of stress trying to get them done piecemeal throughout the week. But there is also unnerving stress that has no benefit. It is possible to be so stressed out that pleasurable acts such as eating and showering become chores. Some stress can be chronic and debilitating like an rv travel emergency and that stress is bad. You’ve got to do something about it, and you can.
When I was in junior college, I had a professor who told us it was necessary to be a little nervous before public speaking. She said we should learn to “get the butterflies flying in formation.” I always loved that analogy because it didn’t imply “curing” stress but rather transforming it into something positive. Periodically I am observed teaching my class at work. Most the time, it is no big deal to my stress level because I know I work hard at what I do and that I have objective data that proves I am good at it. Still, there are other times for whatever reason when I feel the butterflies creeping in. At those times, I don’t try to escape my stress I see it as a positive. It propels me to perform notably. If I were never stressed about an observation, my teaching would never get any better. I have a health category on this blog where I make suggestions such as diet, exercise, relaxation, and meditation. If you are into health, check it out. Ultimately, you need to make your own decision to transform bad stress to good. It won’t happen overnight but the results will eventually be a much higher quality of life.
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