Not too long ago, I met a young woman who told me that after four years of working for the same company she’d been offered a managerial position.
“Good for you!” I piped up.
She shook her head. “Oh, no! I didn’t accept the job. There’d be too much stress.”
Then, the other day, the young lady at the checkout counter at the grocery store looked a little down, and since there was no one else in line, I engaged her in conversation. “Are you going to school?” I asked.
“No! School is too stressful.”
Note that both women were in their early twenties, which had me wondering where they might find themselves in a decade or two.
The thing is, we need stress in our lives. Yes, we hear constantly about reducing stress, but in reality some stress is good for us. The thing to remember is that there are different kinds of stress. Chronic stress—long-lasting pressure from family, jobs, relationships, traumatic situations, and ill health—is best to be avoided, when possible. But short-term stress, which is called eustress, is a survival mechanism that provides all kinds of positive effects. This type of stress helps us tackle challenges and boosts our focus and performance. Consider, for example, a pitcher facing a batter with the winning run on third, or an actor waiting off stage for a que, or going on that first date. Short-term stress helps us confront those types of challenges.
According to the article “The Benefits of Good Stress” by Dr. Elizabeth Scott, “When we feel good stress, our heart rate increases, our breathing rate increases…It’s a short-term change in our bodies that helps us to feel prepared, energized, and ready to perform at our best.”
Short term stress can even boost our immune system and improve our memory. And without it, life can be, well, boring.
“Good stress…is the type of stress we feel when we are excited. Our pulse quickens and our hormones surge…we’d feel rudderless and unhappy if we didn’t have some stress in our lives—the ‘good stress’ variety.”
Studies show that our younger generations are suffering from significantly higher stress levels than previous generations, which had me considering those two young women, both acutely fearful of being placed in tense situations. I couldn’t help but worry about them. There is simply no way to avoid stress. It’s part of our daily lives. And like all other challenges, we need to practice how we respond to it. But how do we get young people to willingly put themselves in stressful situations?
We can praise effort over outcome, especially when they’re children. We can help them build resilience by showing them that stress is simply a manageable challenge not something to be feared. We can share the times we were stressed and how we coped. And we can point out that failure is nothing but a learning opportunity.
The point is, we need to experience stress and learned to tackle it early on, so that when life offers us opportunities we are confident enough to step up and give something new a try.
Wolf Catcher
Anne Montgomery
Historical Fiction
In 1939, archeologists uncovered a tomb at the Northern Arizona site called Ridge Ruin. The man, bedecked in fine turquoise jewelry and intricate bead work, was surrounded by wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands. The Hopi workers stepped back from the grave, knowing what the Moochiwimi sticks meant. This man, buried nine hundred years earlier, was a magician.
Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.
Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.
Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.
Author Anne Montgomery 
I think the pandemic through these kids off kilter when it comes to dealing with stress, Anne. The older generations found it easier because we’ve experienced more stress throughout our lives. These kids need to acquire tools that will help them through the stressful times in their lives or they will never feel fulfilled. Great post, my friend! Cheers!
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Thank you, Sharon! And I agree. If kids keep shunning every stressful opportinity, how will they ever move forward? And where will we get brain surgeons and air traffic controllers and teachers and police officers? Here’s hoping young people can find a way forward.
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