Why Stress and Anxiety Aren’t Always Bad

People generally think of stress and anxiety as negative concepts, but while both stress and anxiety can reach unhealthy levels, psychologists have long known that both are unavoidable — and that they often play a helpful, not harmful, role in our daily lives.

When we hear the words “stress” and “anxiety,” we often think of them as negative things. However, according to Lisa Damour, a psychologist and author, both stress and anxiety can be helpful in our daily lives. Stress can occur when we’re pushing ourselves beyond our limits, and it can result from both good and bad events. Similarly, anxiety is like an internal alarm system that alerts us to threats both internal and external.

Key Findings

1. Stress and anxiety can be helpful in small doses, but they can become harmful if they’re chronic or traumatic.
2. There are a number of things you can do to reduce stress and anxiety, including exercise, relaxation techniques, and seeking professional help.
3. Mindfulness techniques have also emerged as an effective approach to addressing both stress and anxiety.

Recommendations

1. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, it’s important to take measures to reduce it.
2. If you’re struggling with anxiety, there are a number of resources available to help you, including workbooks, mindfulness techniques, and professional help.
3. It’s important to understand that stress and anxiety are unavoidable parts of daily life, but that doesn’t mean they have to control you. By viewing stress and anxiety as sometimes helpful and protective, you can make good use of them and build psychological strength.

While stress and anxiety can be helpful in small doses, they can become harmful if they’re chronic or traumatic. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, it’s important to take measures to reduce it and seek help from a trained professional to learn stress management strategies. Similarly, if you’re struggling with anxiety, there are workbooks that can help you evaluate and challenge your own irrational thoughts. Mindfulness techniques have also emerged as an effective approach to addressing both stress and anxiety.

It’s important to understand that stress and anxiety are unavoidable parts of daily life, but that doesn’t mean they have to control us. By viewing stress and anxiety as sometimes helpful and protective, we can make good use of them and build psychological strength.