The Future of Stress: Use It or Lose It?

The buzz: Stress has been defined as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances – or as the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change. In her verywellmind.com article, When Stress Is Actually Good for You, Elizabeth Scott, MS, observes, “We rarely hear people say, ‘I’m really feeling stressed. Isn't that great?’ But if we didn't have some stress in our lives—the ‘good stress’ variety—we'd feel rudderless and unhappy. If we define stress as anything that alters our homeostasis, then good stress, in its many forms, is vital for a healthy life. Bad stress can even turn into good stress, and vice versa.” With ‘good stress’, our pulse quickens, hormones surge…it keeps us feeling excited about life. Adrenaline junkies know that too much good stress can become bad. Acute or ‘bad stress’ comes from quick surprises that need a response. Chronic stress comes from repeated stressors that feel inescapable and can result in negative physical and emotional health effects. Big questions: Is technology a major chronic stressor? Should you avoid all stress? Will talking about stress in the workplace increase employee engagement? If we talk with our children about stress, will we help them cope better as adults? Can we learn balanced responses to stress that will toughen our resilience to whatever life throws at us? We’ll ask Colonel Deb Lewis, Alexey Katko, Marcia Daszko and Doug Krug for their take on The Future of Stress: Use It Or Lose It?