Stress Does a Body Good

Stress, the one thing most people tend to avoid at all costs is a great thing…in moderation of course. Before I go any further, let’s get a couple things straight; stress is anything and everything you encounter throughout the day from working out (whether it is lifting or running), a stack of papers to write from your teacher, or the wind blowing in your face. Depending how large the stimulus is and whether we have been stressed by that stimulus before determines how we react to it. This way of looking at stress was created by Dr. Hans Selye, who dubbed the way we react to stress the General Adaptation Syndrome.  

The body is an amazing, resilient thing that can endure much more than we really think it can, or even bother to put it through.  As we encounter different stimuli, the body is broken down; the more stress put on by a single stimulus the deeper we are taken into a hole. The amazing thing is that as soon as we go to sleep that night, our bodies go to work to build ourselves back up. But it doesn't only take us back to where we were before we encountered that stimulus, it makes us stronger! The body will do whatever it needs to do to ensure that if that stimulus is encountered again, it will be much easier to endure. So the next time you think that you are stressed out for any reason, just remember you will be that much better tomorrow!