Stress and Health
I knew a co-worker that had a major heart attack from stress in his life and not just teaching . I do believe that had he used the principles derived in this course in management that he might still be with us.
I also allowed stress in my life to turn my health for the worse. While more furtunate than your friend, the long term affects of this stress has left me a completely different person, with serious health issues, and changes in my personal life. Without going into detail, I can't state strongly enough how important it is to manage and reduce the stress in our lives. I had to find ways of dealing with it long before this course, and have been successful to a large degree. Without changes in my way of thinking and dealing with stressors in my life, I may not be here either.
I too, have allowed stress to consume my life and it has affected my health. This scared me into trying to make changes to improve my life both personally and professionally.
Yes, sometimes we have to hit rock bottom with the stress in our lives before we understand the full importance of improving our situations.
I agree with you, I've had a minor heart-attack and three minor heart-strokes that I recovered from, that in itself is hit-rock bottom, to me -my students and my family bring me plenty of positive re-inforcement that brings down the stress of everyday situations-laugh and enjoy life and work!
There is two types of stress. Positive stress and negative stress. Being able to tell the difference is one way of dealing with stress.
Good point Lauren. It's important to be able to know the difference. Positive stress is good for us and can motivate us to do extraordinary things. Negative stress can be harmful and needs to be reduced or eliminated.
