Can the Symptoms of Stress Be Good for You?

What are some common symptoms of stress and when can they be good for you?

There are many symptoms of stress. There are physical symptoms, like difficulty sleeping or loss of appetite, and there are more psychological symptoms, such as excessive worry or feeling overwhelmed. I recently read about new research that explores the way stress affects people differently.The research specifically addresses short-term stress, such as the stress we feel before taking a test, or going for a job interview. It’s not talking about more chronic forms of stress or anxiety. With respect to short-term stress, research is beginning to show that, if we can use short-term stress to help us master a task, the stress might actually improve our performance.The good news here is that, even if you’re a person who experiences the kind of anxiety that can undermine your performance, learning how to manage short-term stress can help you perform well. And in many cases, you can learn to perform even better than those who naturally do well in high-pressure situations.

If stress isn’t naturally helpful to you, and it seems to hold you back, how can you practice managing stress differently?  

The researchers came to the conclusion that there are two kinds of people: “worriers” and “warriors.” Whether you’re one or the other depends to a large degree on your genetic make-up. These aren’t absolute types, of course. They exist on a continuum.But, generally speaking, people who are warriors naturally thrive under stress. They find it energizing, and are able to focus better, when they’re under pressure. Worriers are exactly the opposite. They tend to become overwhelmed by stress, and to perform less effectively, when they experience it.This would seem to mean that warriors are always at an advantage in stressful situations. However, the researchers found that with the appropriate training and practice, worriers tend to outperform warriors. In their study of pilots, for example, they found that warrior pilots outperformed worriers when tasks required lower levels of skill.However, at more advanced levels, worriers who had received the appropriate training outperformed warriors. This example illustrates that, if you’re someone who becomes overwhelmed in stressful situations, getting lots of practice with the tasks you find difficult can help in overcoming your stress, and aid in performance at a high level.The danger of being vulnerable to short-term stress is that you can be tempted to give up when things become overwhelming. But if you can hang in there, and practice your task over and over again, you can experience the satisfaction of both mastering your stress and mastering a new task.So if taking tests overwhelms you, take as many practice tests as needed, until you’re confident that you’ll do well on your exam. If you get stressed out by job interviews, do a lot of practice interviews until you’re confident that you’ll know what to do in the actual interview.

How can therapy help you manage, and take advantage of, the symptoms of stress?

When we’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed, it can be very difficult to figure out what’s making us feel this way. Therapy can help you become clear about the source of your anxiety, and understand how to manage it. If you’re experiencing short-term stress, your therapist can help you determine what kind of training and practice you need, in order to feel more competent and less stressed.Therapy can also help you become more self-accepting. If you’re genetically predisposed to be a worrier, being critical of yourself will only make you feel more stressed. If you can accept who you are and learn to work with it, you’ll feel better about yourself, and more successfully manage whatever stressful situations come your way. Click to learn more about anxiety therapy and treatment with Dr. Jane Rubin.