Not all stress is bad
In the latest Healthy Mind Show, behaviour and stress expert Judi James joins presenter Glen Tomsett for an in-depth look at stress. Judi explains what causes stress, how to recognise the symptoms, and the importance of perception and control in managing stress in our lives.
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Transcript
Not all stress is bad
Glen: It's got a lot to answer for, stress, hasn't it?
Judi: It has, but at the same time, for me, there's such a thing as good stress. I think we also know that feeling when you've got the right buzz of adrenalin going, it's making you bright eyed, bushy tailed, you actually feel healthy, you've got challenges. But there are two words to remember. Number one is perception. That means you're seeing things that are not life threatening as life threatening, and that needs to be changed; that's healing at source if you can work on that. The second one is control. See yourself as being in control of your life and your circumstances - that's hugely important - then it shouldn't lead to bad stress.
Glen: So there is such a thing as good stress then?
Judi: I call it good stress. I mean a lot of doctors, they don't like the term very much. But I think most people know there are times when we've got enough going on in our lives, we've got good challenges, we feel really up to the fight - and that's when I feel that it's good stress. I think most people can identify with that.
Glen: Stress affects a lot of us, I would say most of us, Judi, in a bizarre sort of way?
Judi: It can't not. As I say, it's part of our in-built response. I mean, in a way, if you walked across the road and a lorry came hurtling towards you, it would be that instant stress response that would make you run away quickly...
Glen: Surely that's fright though, isn't it, there's being stressed and being frightened?
Judi: Well, stress is like long-term fear.
Glen: Seeing danger?
Judi: Yes, in a way. I mean, that's what we're talking about, it's all the same response, but it's diluted over a long period of time.
Glen: So how do you cure bad stress? I work in a television newsroom environment where people don't take lunch breaks, they've got deadlines to meet, the programme's on air at 6 o'clock, they've got to get news reports, packages edited, and scripts and everything written. They're up against really tight deadlines. That's just one example. They're entitled to a break, they're very stressed out, news editors run around the news room shouting... That's not good for them. Surely they're leading themselves into an early heart attack, aren't they?
Judi: They could be. The only thing I would say, and I've worked in a newsroom as well, there is a kind of strange balance that goes on. You know, there's a lot of excitement, there's a lot of teamwork that goes on - hopefully, you know, where you feel it's a bit emergency but you're all pulling towards the same end. There's also that feeling of reward when you see it going on air, you've got kind of job satisfaction...
Glen: And there's that big sort of sigh of relief... that was a good show, or that was a bad show. You dissect it.
Judi: Absolutely. I worry more about people who go to work every morning and they don't really understand what their job's for, they never get to an end with their work, or people at home who get up and don't feel that they're doing anything worthwhile, but they're working all the time, there's external pressures going on. I think that kind of thing can probably be more destructive to the way that you think, which can lead too much worse stress.
Judi: I mean, I'm not saying that anybody should work under that kind of pressure for a very long period of time, but I don't think that destructive stress is quite so rife in those kinds of businesses. It's quite well known that middle management tend to have the highest stress levels. Now, they haven't got the cut and thrust that you were talking about, but they're getting pressure from the people in their teams to solve all their problems, and they're also getting pressure from management to sort everything out. They don't have the high levels of control to be able to do anything and that can become a lot more destructive.
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