Is Stress Inherently Bad?

In short, no.  Stress is not inherently a bad thing.  In the example from the previous section, stress (hopefully) helped you to avoid hitting the deer in the middle of the road and causing major damage to your car, to you, and to whoever was riding along with you.  If you did hit the deer, it would increase your body’s ability to heal and significantly increase your chances for survival.  The important thing to realize about that type of situation, however, is that once it’s over, all of your hormonal levels and essential/non-essential functions return to normal.  Life goes on.

Where stress becomes bad is when it continues for an extended period, or when it is brought about unnecessarily by unimportant and non-urgent circumstances.  Our bodies were not made to handle the constant pressures that stress puts us through.  Over time, it causes lasting damage to your body, mind, and spirit. 

In addition to the health issues already mentioned, stress can have a significant negative impact on you, your family, and the call of God on your life through increased irritability and shortened temper, through exhaustion and the inability to focus on what is truly important, through lack of sleep, and through distracting you from your priorities of prayer, family time, and refreshing and joy-filled activities.  If left unchecked, these things often lead to divorce, depression, addiction, and even natural death or suicide.

Continue to What Are the Warning Signs of Unhealthy Stress? ->