We need a little bit of anxiety in order to function, those feelings of worry or unease. Without it, we probably wouldn’t meet our deadlines, there would be no reason to care about our grades and we would never grow or succeed.
Although anxiety and stress have negative connotations, they help us accomplish tasks that our minds deem difficult or scary.
This type of “good stress” is called eustress, where the stressor is an opportunity and you work to get the best possible outcome. Any kind of stress is a demand placed on your brain or physical body. A situation that makes you feel frustrated or nervous can trigger it.
“It’s not good to be stress-free because it’s not possible,” said Dr. Venkat Polavarapu, a psychiatrist at the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System. “The world is not like that. So anyone who lives that way is either in denial or is afraid of embracing that stress”
Productive stress occurs when individuals perceive stressors as challenges rather than threats. This kind of stress motivates us and keeps us on our toes. Productive stress allows our brains to focus on one particular task at a time instead of flooding our mind with every little task we have to do. But we’re always walking the line of being productive without pushing ourselves too far. We’re always teetering on the edge of our comfort zone, figuring out if we want to make that leap or fall back into what we know.
The pressure we put on ourselves can help motivate us to reach our goals; however, too much internal pressure creates anxiety and timidness. It makes someone feel overwhelmed. External pressures can come from those around us — family, friends, teachers. Even if they’re applying pressure subconsciously, the stress is there.
Receiving a bad test grade might feel like the end of the world to some of us. It may way down on us because we don’t know what to do next. The “failure” has made us self-conscious of our abilities. Those kinds of responses are not healthy.
“The difference between an individual who’s never handled failure and someone who has is the understanding that things are not always easy for them, but they’re working and they see the progression,” Dr. Polavarapu said. “They see the ups and downs, failure and positivity, in a healthy way.”
In school, we’re put under the stressors of tests, projects, essays and friends. We’re meant to be present during every class from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. But after school ends, we’re still busy with homework, a job or sports. Some days, it feels like we never get a break. This form of stress can lead to burnout.
Without coping mechanisms and ways to take care of ourselves, we get lost in our minds with the long lists of “to do.” We don’t have that release or escape. Our mind needs time to rest and recharge, just like our physical body does. If we don’t mark out time to take a break, our mind is overloaded and our body become anxious. We need a balance.
Junior Maggie Williams likes to decompress by watching movies, playing games on her phone and spending time with friends, family and her dog. She has learned that procrastination is something that will inevitably hurt her.
“We procrastinate because the urgency isn’t there,” Dr. Polavarapu said. “When you start to procrastinate for multiple things, that’s when you feel that unhealthy stress.”
When you procrastinate on multiple things, your mind makes that “to-do” list longer and longer, and your body relays symptoms of anxiety. The amount of stress builds up as your mind comprehends everything.
“I feel like if you try to think about everything all at once, it gets really overwhelming,” Williams said. “But if you can say, ‘Let’s do one thing at a time,’ it gets done.”
Realizing that focusing on one task at a time is more effective has helped Williams learn to manage her workload. She understands that some projects are more urgent than others and weighs their importance while keeping in mind when they need to be done by.
However, unhelpful coping skills can cause recycled stress, leading to increased levels of anxiety and depression. One way this can happen is simply pretending the problem will go away by itself and not working towards a solution.
Healthy techniques to reduce stress and anxiety in daily life include limiting caffeine consumption, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, meditating and working directly to resolve the things that caused the stress.
Another way to handle stress is using a support system. You need people you can open up to about how you’re feeling and will put you at ease.
“When you don’t have that support system, you feel so isolated and think that you have to do it on your own,” Dr. Polavarapu said. “People fail to reach out to the people that are right there in front of them.”
Spending time with others brings a sense of comfort. The people close to us increase our self-esteem and self-worth. They contribute to our overall happiness and provide the support we need. Having a support network of friends, family or teachers can provide emotional relief, encouragement and a fresh perspective on challenges.
“You need people in your life that are not going to be your cheerleader,” Dr. Polavarapu said. “You need people to take the initiative and tell you when you need help.”
While there is both bad stress and productive stress, we need a mix of both. We’re not able to succeed and grow unless we have that motivation, but when that stress reaches high levels, we need to be able to control our responses. Every risk is a growth experience, no matter the outcome.
