Stress. All of our ills seem to come down to how much stress we have in our lives. Have a headache, it's probably stress related. Relationship problems, stress is probably causing them. Not happy with your life, then you should reduce the amount of stress in your life. Article after article, on MSM and New Media, can be found telling us how to "de-stress". Unplug from the world. Take a spa day. Vacations are key. Meditation can help.

I say bah to all of that.

I like stress. I thrive under stress. Give me another ball to juggle and I'm happy as I can be. Take away the balls and I don't know what to do with myself. Have you juggled two balls, it's boring as all get out and I do not like to be bored.

I've gotten to the point where I no longer read anything related to stress. Every article makes it sound as though stress is this horrible thing and I just don't buy it. But then I saw this study that says stress can be good for you. Yay stress! Go stress? Embrace your stress!

As Spencer Rathus puts it in “Psychology: Concepts and Connections,” “some stress is healthy and necessary to keep us alert and occupied.” Yet that’s not the theme that’s been coming out of science for the past few years. “The public has gotten such a uniform message that stress is always harmful,” says Janet DiPietro, a developmental psychologist at Johns Hopkins University. “And that’s too bad, because most people do their best under mild to moderate stress.”

I think TheMadGrad's boss is right... I understand what her boss is saying and if I tried Ashley's tips for stress relief at work, I'd be more stressed! But, to each her own. It if works for Ashley, then I'm happy for her.

I was on a meeting with my Boss the other day, when he said to me ” Believe it or not, as the project manager you should be more stressed out than anyone- stress is a good thing!” To which I replied in my head- “What? Since when is stress a good thing? If I am stressed out, doesn’t that mean I don’t have all the projects under control?”

Heather is blogging about the good kind of stress and that's the attitude I like. She's got all of this stuff going on in her life but she recognizes how good it is. I can totally relate.

My life is so hectic and so busy right now. But it is all good. Yes, I am stressed and still dealing with postpartum hormones, but I am very blessed. My stress comes from not having enough time to get everything done before V's homecoming, plus getting things ready by Saturday evening for the trip to Ethiopia.

Mamapundit has some good stress too...

I have a literary agent - a really excellent, well-known agent - ready to sign me to write a new book. The book is something I am incredibly interested in, but it’s a genre far outside my usual comfort zone.

Tamara talks about eustress.

Good instances of stress can be termed, eustress. The prefix “eu-”means “good.” It is a name given to stressful situations that bring about good results.

See! Stress is good. It's healthy. It can bring about good results. Embrace the stress. Go with it. Learn from it.

And while you're thinking about this, take a peek at stress's cousin fear and fright - fright is good, too.

~~Denise
Flamingo House Happenings