What’s your initial reaction when you hear the word “stress”? For most of us, the word has a negative connotation, and we would prefer to avoid it when possible.
The thing that we sometimes forget, though, is that stress isn’t necessarily bad in itself. In fact, it can provide a valuable service for us all, because stress can help stimulate growth.
Think of someone who is trying to build muscle. What’s involved in that process? First, the muscles are put under stress. And because of the stress that’s placed on them, the muscles end up getting stronger. It takes time, and the muscles need a chance to recover — that’s where the growth happens — but it all starts with the muscles being exposed to stress.
The same thing is true in life. Stress can help us to grow and develop in ways that we otherwise wouldn’t. No, this doesn’t mean we need to seek out excessive amounts of stress all the time. But it does mean that when we do encounter it, we understand that it too can play a role in our own development.
Because if we avoid stress at all cost — and this is the key point — we’ll ultimately undermine our own potential for growth. Just like someone who never puts weight on their muscles won’t grow as strong as they could, someone who continually avoids all forms of discomfort and stress will also miss out on growing into what they could become.