By: Julia Wilhoit, LGPC
“I’m so stressed out!”
“I have so many thoughts running through my head at night I can barely sleep.”
“I can’t handle it anymore.”
If you’re like most people you have said or at least thought one of these statements before. Stress is a part of life; we all deal with people and situations that can cause our blood pressure to increase and our stress level to rise. While not all stress is bad, there are ways of handling stress that can either have a positive or a negative impact on your life.
Good Stress – Starting college, getting married, having a baby, starting a new job, buying a house, going on a trip – all these events are wonderful, but can certainly cause stress! Stress is your body’s way of telling you that you need to be alert because you’re getting ready to start something with which you are unfamiliar. Stress helps motivate you to prepare for your trip, study for your test, or read that book on child rearing. It pushes you to work hard so that nagging feeling of unpreparedness goes away and you feel relaxed and able to handle whatever may come your way. Stress can be good! Without it we may never accomplish certain tasks or experience meaningful relationships.
Bad Stress – But there is a point at which good stress can turn into bad stress. Perhaps you live in a constant state of worry without even knowing what you are worried about. Anxiety is a hot topic these days and living with relentless anxiety can be paralyzing. Anxiety can occur when good stress turns into a sense of worry that just doesn’t leave. It’s as if you are always on high alert – no wonder sleep in this state can be elusive! It’s important to recognize when good stress has turned into bad stress.
When that happens, you may need to make some changes such as limiting social media, eating a healthy diet, exercising, going to bed early, and taking moments to breathe deeply. Above all, turning to God and asking for His help and guidance to get you through this tough time can make all the difference in the world. While stress in and of itself is a part of life, we do have the ability to improve our response to stressful events and learn how to make stress work for you and not against you.