Embracing the Power of Small Stress: How a Little Pressure Can Propel Us Forward

Introduction:
In the whirlwind of modern life, stress often carries a negative connotation. Yet, not all stress is created equal. While chronic stress can take a toll on our well-being, there exists a type of stress that can be surprisingly beneficial. Enter eustress – the positive stress that can ignite our motivation, enhance performance, and fuel personal growth. In this blog post, we’ll explore the concept of small stress and how harnessing its power can lead to positive outcomes in our lives.

Understanding Eustress:
Eustress, coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye, refers to stress that is perceived as positive or beneficial. Unlike distress, which overwhelms and debilitates us, eustress energizes and inspires action. It can arise from various sources such as challenges, deadlines, competitions, or new experiences. Eustress prompts us to rise to the occasion, adapt, and ultimately thrive.

The Benefits of Small Stress:
Small doses of stress can have remarkable effects on our performance and well-being. Eustress can sharpen our focus, enhance cognitive function, and boost productivity. It can motivate us to set and achieve goals, fostering a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Moreover, embracing small stressors can build resilience, teaching us to cope effectively with adversity and bounce back stronger than before.

Finding Balance:
While small stress can be beneficial, it’s essential to strike a balance and avoid tipping into overwhelming distress. Recognizing our limits and practicing self-care are crucial aspects of managing stress effectively. Techniques such as mindfulness, exercise, and time management can help mitigate the negative effects of stress while maximizing its potential benefits.

Embracing the Challenge:
Rather than shying away from stress, we can reframe our perspective and view it as an opportunity for growth. Embracing challenges and stepping out of our comfort zones can lead to personal and professional development. By harnessing the power of small stress, we can unlock our full potential and seize opportunities for success.

Conclusion:
In a world where stress is often demonized, it’s time to reevaluate our relationship with this powerful force. Small stress, or eustress, has the potential to propel us forward, fuel our ambitions, and foster resilience. By embracing challenges and harnessing the positive aspects of stress, we can unlock new levels of achievement and fulfillment in our lives.

Keywords: eustress, small stress, positive stress, motivation, performance, resilience, personal growth

References:

1. Selye, H. (1974). Stress without distress. Journal of Indian Psychology, 2(1), 15-20.
2. McGonigal, K. (2015). The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It. Avery.
3. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.

Obits

The Times of India carries large number of obituaries every day. It devotes one full page for this purpose where bereaved people want to share with the world the loss of their dear ones.

Generally, there is a photograph of the person who has gone up and then there are epitaphs some of which are simply exaggerations, but this is permitted because there are both flip and face sides to everything and everyone’s perspective is different.

Today, I saw a obituary which quotes a poem by Henry Scott Holland. It is reproduced below in Toto. It is beautiful poem exuding optimism and treating death as only a transient reality. It runs as follows:

"Death is nothing at all. It doesn't count,
I have slippy away into next room. 
Nothing has happened, 
Everything remains exactly as it was. 
I am I, and you are you, 
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!"

Mind Minds its own Business

The mind called “Mann” in Hindi, made from only two alphabets, is contains oceans in it which are so deep and vast in their extent. It exists physically or not, we are not sure. Even in this “Mann” is a component called “subconscious mind” which is like an ocean on which the “conscious mind” floats like an iceberg.  Conscious mind is so small in comparison to the subconscious mind. It stores all the past memories and suppressed emotions and saves us from the embarrassments the conscious mind can land us in.

Layers upon layers of memories are deposited with the passage of  time. These reams of memories are not deposited one upon another. There is an unknown architectural scheme for storing the data. Sometimes any disturbance or catalyst brings some memory floating up. It comes, surprises you, disturbs you, you earn to live in that moment again and for a time forget about the present. Suddenly the conscious mind taps you on your shoulders and reminds you about your present. The memory again sinks back and settles somewhere. Who knows how much is its resident time there? Whether it will come up ever again or be buried forever. Or someone shall again stir the settled memories and bring it up again.

Obits

The Times of India carries large number of obituaries every day. It devotes full one page for this purpose where bereaved people want to share with the world the loss of their dear ones. Generally, there is a photograph of the person who has gone up and then there are epitaphs some of which are simply exaggerations, but this is permitted because there are both flip and face sides to everything and everyone’s perspective is different.

Today, I saw a obituary which quotes a poem by Henry Scott Holland. It is reproduced below in Toto. It is beautiful poem exuding optimism and treating death as only a transient reality. It runs as follows:

“Death is nothing at all.

It does not count.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.

I am I, and you are you, and

the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.

Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.

Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.

Put no difference into your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity.

What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner.

All is well.

Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.

One brief moment and all will be as it was before.

How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!”

Lust and Depression

Lust

What grows in hot and humid weather?. All kinds of vegetation, umpteen varieties of insects, bacteria, skin diseases, laziness, indolence, exhaustion, lizards, snakes, lust and…… lotus-eaters. Girls elope with boys and return like prodigals when the fever of lust subsides to wed and become wives and husbands, to begin the process of procreation, to slip down the mire, groaning under the weight of responsibilities to age prematurely.

Depression

Where does the tree of depression  grow? What does it thrive on? What does it eat and drink?

It thrives on loneliness, on the jealousy, deprivation of sex; insecurity that the ship of destiny is marooned in the high seas.

Some Biological Facts About Men & Women

1. Women are capable of holding and processing in their minds several events at once.
2. Good estrogen levels help men to keep their memory sharp and optimal condition.
3. High estrogen levels in women have an impact on adrenal glands and their stress levels take longer time to subside.

Dotard

He is approaching late fifties and becoming a dotard by the each passing day. He laughs empty laughs and is plagued by formalities; though he is cunning like a fox but that fox has swaddled himself in the body of a bear. He virtually quacks in front of his seniors and rages on the juniors when there is no stress. His food slips through his hands when he is late even a minute for the office lest his boss bang him in front of the colleagues. But he terrorizes his juniors, demands goodies from them in return for easy and trouble free duties. The remote location and nature of their duty makes them weak and they submit to his whims. It is like hugging the bear.

Food occupies a central place in his psyche and his greatest weakness; his eyes continue to ogle the food and he is an ogre. His digestion is legendary. Sweets, fried food, chicken, mutton become humble before his digestive system. Sometimes we were arguing that he can eat stones and drink the food made in crude oil instead of normal vegetable oils. He relishes his food and have no modern day diseases like blood pressure and diabetes or heart conditions. He is as tough as nails. All these characteristics might have been acquired during his struggle for survival in the younger days when he has to leave his country and with his parents tread though jungles. After arriving to get a foothold at a place which was completely alien to him.

Struggle for survival must have made him like that. When the life became easy, he took some liberties with his colleagues. He constructed a big multistory house at his new location with taking any aid from the company. He also bought some land adjacent to his house where he has cultivated some high value trees for selling them at a later date. He grew plenty of vegetables and has a pond dug in his land where he raised the fish for daily consumptions.

I miss him many a times.