Feeling stressed out? No one blames you. It seems overnight we went from going about our normal lives to being unable to dine out with friends, visit family, or even to see a movie. Everything suddenly seems uncertain.
Managing stress is important during this challenging time. The first step may be to change our attitude towards stress and recognize that it’s not stress itself but our attitude towards it.
There are two kinds of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is good for us. For example, it’s how we build muscle mass. We stress the tissue, break it down, and in the repair process, it expands. This principle also applies to our emotional growth, of getting out of our comfort zone.
Distress, on the other hand, is when we experience stress for too long, remaining in fight-or-flight until our nervous, cardiovascular, and other systems are compromised.
Learning to manage stress can have the most important results: a longer, healthier, happier life. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked nearly 30,000 people to rate their stress level. Those who report high levels of stress but don’t perceive stress as bad are living longer than those who have low stress but perceive stress as harmful.
One important way to achieve peace of mind and reduce stress is taking advantage of the insurance coverage available to you through ASBA. Schedule a free Benefits Review with one of the experts at ASBA.
