Why is Stress Necessary to Make Us Better Individuals?

We always hear about the disastrous effects of stress. We hear about how taking too much stress now might even make us more prone to Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease when we grow old and we hear about the possible effects of stress like stroke as well. Yet, not always are the effects of stress on the bad side. Little amounts of stress actually help us make better individuals! Find out how.

Actually, the stress response (which can be better described in medical terms as the body’s own hormonal reaction to any unknown circumstance which the body apprehends for danger) has evolved to let us survive in the first place. Thus, stress can actually energize us in the short term and help us focus better. Mild stress will thus help us to handle things better and make us more efficient than before. In fact, stress can also help us to be better at things we haven’t been able to be good at and thus make us more resilient.

Little amount of stress can infuse fun in our lives too. The adrenaline rush that we might feel in times of danger due to stress is the same adrenaline rush we feel when jet skiing or parachuting. Having stress induces a variety of changes in the body. As the brain fears a possible stress situation, it releases chemicals like cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. With the release of these chemicals, the heart too starts beating faster, the senses sharpen and we get invigorated. Stress is what might make the difference between life and death in times of danger, and little amounts of stress will always continue to be productive. When we have stress in adequate amounts, i.e. amounts with which we are able to cope with, stress will make our lives more productive and we will be able to function better. In fact, little amounts of stress might even help improve our heart function and also help make our bodies more resistant to infection as our body functions to its optimum level when under stress.

Thus stress isn’t always a bad thing and might be quite helpful to us in our lives if we can use it to our advantage. The main thing to remember about stress is that too much of it is bad, while moderate amounts of it will help you grow better as an individual.