It has long been known that a certain level of stress is actually a good thing. What this article shows is the science behind this assertion and, perhaps surprisingly, how the interpretation you put on the stress makes all the difference in how stress affects you.
Is stress good or bad? It’s actually both
Like many emergency responders, Nicholas Groom is used to stress at work. He speaks quickly, with an urgency that seems appropriate for a paramedic. “We’re a bit of a weird group because we voluntarily go into situations that other people run away from,” says 29-year-old Groom, a trustee for the College of Paramedics who lives in Oxfordshire, England.