Eons ago while still a new denizen of the "Corporatory" (not a real word but something I just made up since Purgatory would be too severe to describe the workplace), I inquired from the other "seasoned" co-workers about a particular manager. Everyone said, "He is not known to suffer from stress himself but he is definitely a carrier". As a new immigrant then, I was still processing every nuanced message from native speakers because often I would misunderstand idiomatic expressions. That was one of the funny but also often true expressions, albeit a polite assessment of one manager's Draconian management style that I soon realized.
Stress, I surmised, is either a builder of character or destroyer of an otherwise sound physiological system, let alone a psychological torturer, the anathema to mental serenity. Now, that was heavy. Let's start from somewhere lighter first.
How about high school physics, where formulas were usually made up of no more than three letters. F=p x a, the force applied to a surface is equal to the amount of pressure multiplied by the area; alternatively, p=F/a. Air pressure is a good example, aka barometric pressure, that we are all familiar with when talking about the weather. All it means is that if you draw a one inch square on a flat surface, say on a table or pavement, and extend it imaginarily upwards to the limits of the atmosphere above, it will encapsulate a column of air that weighs (F) on average a total of 14-15 pounds, thus exerting a pressure of say 14.5 pounds per square inch (a) - a typical atmospheric pressure (p) at sea level; which, by the way, at ground level, we are literally at the bottom of the ocean of air. That is why pressure at higher elevation like a mountain top or where airplanes cruise, is a lot less - the column of air as in the previous example is a lot shorter, shallower if you will, or less of it, up there.
Well, that was a convoluted way to get to one definition of pressure. But it is one way of defining what could possibly be a precursor to stress. A weight pressing down from above; such as the boss I described earlier. He may not suffer from it but he was a carrier that conceivably caused those under him this well known malady of modern society - the weight of stress. It too can be from unreasonable deadlines or workload or unclear objectives.
In 1965 Len Deighton's spy novel was made into a movie, "The IPCRESS File" that starred a young Michael Caine. It was, representing the genre of its time - the 60s - a story about brainwashing and mind control in espionage. The title was an acronym for 'Induction of Psycho-Neuroses by Conditioned Reflex under Stress'. Indeed, fiction or in real life, stress can alter narratives, at least as to how people cope, when under psychological pressure. In other words, stress can indeed have physical and psychological effects that can be employed against susceptible individuals.
One of my favorite authors, also in the 60s, Alistair Maclean wrote "The Guns of Navarone", also made into a movie, starring Gregory Peck, about a secret mission to destroy the big guns that the Germans used to thwart Allies shipping in the Mediterranean during WWII. When the commanding officer of the mission was injured, the commando team was forced to leave him behind to be captured by the Germans. Before they left him, they gave him information on the change of plans, while in reality pursuing the original strategy. They knew that once captured by the Gestapo, he will succumb to torture. He was going to give up under stress the information fed to him. The rest was the story of a successful mission that depended on the commandoes skill and abilities to operate under stress and on the Gestapo's faith in extracting information under the stress of extreme torture.
Our real lives are not driven so dramatically as in the above examples but, nevertheless, the effects of stress, or the day-to-day accumulation of stressful conditions in our lives, do have similar manifestations to lesser or sometimes somewhat greater degrees. Stress from work, personal relationships, money issues, a chronic illness, etc. are real but there is no clear straight forward formula in dealing with it because it affects individuals differently, or some are able to deal with it differently from others.
But that's all bad and ugly, what's the good?
Stress was "baked into" both our physiological and psychological makeup. Physical exercises and mental activities through learning and memorization create stresses to better prepare our bodies and minds from the moment of our youth to adulthood (which includes the sunset years). It is not just for the average life but more so for those in the military. Navy SEAL and Army Ranger training are examples of rigid, robust and sometimes torturous training to better prepare these men for all kinds of stresses in combat.
Workouts through strength and stamina training are forms of stresses athletes put their bodies through to meet the challenges of competition. The Spartans trained for extreme survivalism against tremendous odds. Stress conditions the mind and body to respond instinctively without hesitation or doubt. In metallurgy, knives and all types of cutting tools are stressed through high temperature heat treatment, then quenched in either oil or water to relieve the stress. The metal is hardened as a result. Another example of stress being applied even on inanimate objects changed large structural construction when in 1886 an American engineer patented pre-stressed concrete.
"Compressive stresses are induced in prestressed concrete either by pre-tensioning or post-tensioning the steel reinforcement".
Stress has positive impacts even in our daily lives. The fear of failure in one undertaking or another creates stress that can be put to good use. We study more, we learn new skills, we are careful because fear of not being up to the task creates stress that makes us work harder. The stress from fear of danger triggers us to be careful or we take safer routes or take the time to think first before "jumping".
In my woodworking hobby where power tools, sharp chisels, drill and router bits rotating at high speeds are constant reminders of potential injuries, the stress level at first was high where most hobbies are supposed to be fun. But that is why when confronted with doing something more hazardous than usual, I either do not do it or I create a jig to make it safer. Often, I would spend time making one jig even for one operation. That is a good stress because not only do I learn to avoid dangerous pitfalls, but the jigs serve others willing to copy the contraption (I had a few tips published in Woodsmith Magazine).
I guess we can say this. Stress that used to only play a role in our early ancestors' lives as a matter of "fight or flight" response trigger, we can still put it to good use in one positive form or another in our present society. One thing we cannot do is let stress hold us back from trying new things or paralyze us into inaction because of it. On the other hand, "paralysis from over analysis" is the weight that stress sometimes puts on any kind of decision making.
There is no such thing as a stress-free life. Anyone who claims that, is not telling the truth. Even so called stress-free vacations are not real expectations. In fact, worrying about what could possibly go wrong is stressful in and of itself.
In conclusion, stress is and will always be part of our lives. The secret is in managing it. Those who manage it well are guided by the recognition that stress has its good, bad and ugly features we can live with. And commit to deal with it as best we can.
Remember you have the power to go from this:
To this:
Your Call
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