Stress is called the problem of the XNUMXth century, which smoothly passed into the XNUMXst. Its cause is the densification, the acceleration of life in countries that have survived the industrial revolution. Add in urban density, intensified contacts, the Damocles sword of nuclear weapons, and terrorists infiltrating everywhere…
The pressure of the environment around us is growing steadily — as when diving into the depths of the ocean, where all the fish are flat and with bulging eyes … Such a life — with eyes bulging from pressure — is clearly not compensated by the benefits that it allows us to receive from ourselves. If we believe Pushkin that the most realistic approach to human happiness is peace and freedom, then the essence of misfortune is vanity and slavery.
Fussy non-stop activity, according to psychologists, indicates that there is clearly a lack of meaning in our life. But quite a lot of people feel quite comfortable in the zone of high pressures. Problems, illnesses, tasks, challenges of the surrounding world awaken powerful immune forces in them: having mobilized, they cope with the difficulty and turn out to be stronger and healthier than they were.
Ten years ago, psychologists described this effect, calling it “stress-induced growth” (that is, there would be no growth, but misfortune helped), and since then they have received more and more confirmation of it. Even in traumatic situations, growth effects sometimes occur (and are scientifically documented) instead of post-traumatic stress disorder. Most of us look with slight envy at those who douse themselves in cold water in the morning, but this is the same daily stress introduced into the regular gymnastics program and leading to exceptionally useful results.
To look for meaning in what happens to us, even if — and especially if! — it is not happy
The biological function of stress is to mobilize the body to solve a difficult problem. The whole question is how much we are able to withstand our own mobilization. Those who were able to gather all the internal resources into a fist and solve the problem become even stronger, even more tempered. (Of course, without forgetting to give yourself a break when you can.) Those who spend their entire lives in a state of complete and final demobilization, mobilization and stress along with it endure poorly. Demobilization consciousness is not very compatible with life — except perhaps with a short halt on the way.
The main thing that helps to turn any stress to your advantage is your attitude to what is happening. Participate in events, not avoid them. Try to influence what you can, even if it seems like a trifle. To be ready to act when success is not guaranteed, and in case of failure, try not to miss the lesson. Finally, look for meaning in what is happening, even if (especially if) it does not please. All this gives an internal strength that balances external pressure. And stress is nothing, a matter of life.