Stress can be helpful sometimes

This is probably not the best time to talk about the correlation between stress and motivation and definitely not the best time to talk about the advantages of it. Finals are coming up in less than a week and most of us are under pressure to get a good grade for our classes, or at least not fail one. We all wish that finals never existed and the school will just send us home. After all, we’re all drained already by the never ending assignments and quizzes. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize that without the finals, I would never get the chance to review my materials and finish the semester properly. In fact, we need that kind of stress in our lives. 

Of course we all wish for a stress-free life where we can enjoy all the beautiful things in this world and never have to worry about a single thing. But we know that cannot be possible and although the levels and whereabouts of the stress may differ, nobody can be free of it. Therefore, I feel like we should focus on the benefits of it and try to get through it in our own way.  

What I think is important is that we should differentiate good from bad stress. Not all stress is chronic and causes a variety of illnesses. Sometimes, it can help motivate us to do a lot of things and get it done. It drives our urge to learn more, practice, study harder and aim for higher goals. Without any of the stress we have right now, we would be very much comfortable in our own place and not try to make any change in our life. This beneficial short-term stress is what makes us go to classes and finish our assignments. It is simply nature’s fundamental survival mechanism. It activates our fight-or-flight response in dangerous or risky situations. According to an article from Standford Medicine, without the daily stress all animals have, a lion has no chance of catching a gazelle and eating to live another day and the gazelle has no chance of escape.  

Luckily, in most cases, our stress from schoolwork can be relieved and we can develop a resilience mechanism for future stressful scenarios. One of the most important goals of my life has been to find an effective and healthy way to reduce stress levels. In fact, I feel like the reason we feel more stressed out is because a lot of us haven’t found the healthiest way to relieve our stress. Throughout the years, I have looked into different ways others relieve stress, like trying out some new hobbies or trying to develop a passion for something unrelated to academics. However, a lot of the new hobbies like knitting or baking tend to get difficult and ironically put you into a more stressful situation. Besides, it can be expensive when trying to develop a new hobby. An example is when I learned that good crochet needles can cost at least $200. Therefore, although it is important to try to experience new interests that will keep you from thinking about the worries in your life, make sure it doesn’t outweigh the stress levels caused by them.  

Stress is something that will come to us no matter what, and some periods in life can be much more stressful and harder to overcome. This article is just to inform others that maybe we can flip the table and start perceiving stress in a brighter light and try to use that as a tool. Although, when it can’t be relieved by a hot bath or a good meal and things are getting out of control, it is best to consult an expert in mental health and try to talk about it seriously.