It can be both depending on the type of stress. In the workplace I work best under the stress of deadlines.
Mia,
It is good to have timelines for organization and completion lines in the sand. We operate better under organized plans. We have motivational stress and damaging stress. Anytime we have stress that is caused by trauma or personal loss results in shock to the biological system. Shock can be dangerous if not handled correctly.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Stress can be both a motivator and a distractor. I always tell my students that a little stress is good as it increases your awareness and your performance, but when you move from a little stress to all out panic that panic will just blow you out of the water and inhibit you from thinking straight and making good decisions. We talk about stategies like getting out of the situation for awhile to allow you to calm and regroup and how to calm ourselves down in the moment and how it doesn't work the first time you try it and must be practiced to be effective.
Phyllis,
Great advise for your students. Expected and unexpected stress are definitely two different situations. We need to always consider how we deal with both. When we have a situation where we experience trauma, loss of someone (personal) or injury always causes us to draw upon our ability to gain balance in our lives. If we carry on our lives with good health habits, exercise, mental activity and spiritual rejuvenation we will have a better chance of dealing with the unexpected and unwanted stress.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Certain levels of stress are good because it is more than a motivator it gives you a sense of urgency and with it a more focused look at what you are doing and with that you have the focus to perform with greater detail and accuracy. However-it is a misconception when people say "I work well under pressure when the stress level is high". The are swapping out the concept of focus due to urgency with stress- because stress builds and becomes counter productive. We naturally want to do well- with that- urgency pushes us to perform- stress has similar physical attributes but breaks us down with our ability to cope with ugency
Ralph,
Stress that has rewards and light at the end of the tunnel your stress is easier to handle. Stress that is caused by trauma and personal loss is the harder to contend with for the physical body.
Dr. Gary Carlson
I would say both, however it depends upon the individual's ability to handle the stress. Some people are able to manage the stress better than others. So for these people stress can be more of a motivator while for others it can often be a distractor. Everyone will encounter stress in their lives. And it's up to each individual to follow the steps that they see fit in order to cope with their stress.
Terrak,
There is positive stress which is used in most cases to motivate. Those stresses caused from trauma are more profound to cause health issues.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Stress can be both motivating and distracting. For example, many of us perform best when deadlines are given for projects, however this can be distracting if the deadline is unreasonable or if one has procrastinated too long. Using the deadline to do your best work would be a motivator, worrying that the deadline is unrealistic would be distracting.
Marianne,
You are so correct. The key for a leader is to know the line where people can stretch themselves but not go beyond that line.
Dr. Gary Carlson
It could be both, it depends how you handle it. It you don't break the negative stress cycle you will feel worry, overwhelmed, your productivity will be reduced, it would start affecting your health, etc.
On the other way if you know how to handle it, it could motivate you to finish your goals, to achieve what you want, in a positive way.
Victoria,
The most negative stress is from personal loss, trauma or crisis with catastrophe proportions, It does take some very good stress relief practices to contend with these. Motivating stress is with reward potentials in the end. We may be stressed but if we keep the eye on the light at the end of the tunnel with success reducces the negative to a positive.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Stress can be both a motivator because it brings out the best in you. It can help you achieve goals otherwise not though it was attainable. However, it can be a distracter when it is too much; it does not allow you to think well.
david,
Stress can be a motivator if you can see a positive at the end of the tunnel. If your stress is part of a trauma, personal loss, catastrophe or crisis it can be debilitating and harmful to your health. Professional help for negative stress may be needed.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Stress caused by normal worry is a motivator as we needed to face situations we encounter. Stress causes changes in our brain and body that makes us see situations more focused and to the point. Too much stress can be a distracter for some as we could spend too much time worrying about how stressed we are instead of taking care of the problem. Some people worry more about their stress than the problem that's causing it.
Without the stress, we have more energy to get things done and more fun doing it. We need stimulation and engagement. We all enjoy pushing ourselves to accomplish our objectives. But we don't need stress to get there.
If we have control of all our responsibilities, tasks and projects, it is motivating, because leaders enjoy the challenge; it is not motivating when we allow stress to control us.
Stress can be both. You have the choice of handling it in the appropriate manner. I encounter moments of evaluating my stress in the beginning stages of a stressful situation before rolling out the project plan with clarity and diligence.
Aaron,
Early detection is important to reduce the overall trauma to the physical body. It is good to recognize it early and when we have cognizance of the situation. The one thing we do have control of is our mind when it comes to how we are thinking. We can approach our challenges in different ways and how we do that is up to us. The consequences are either positive or negative depending on our choices.
Shane,
I use this alot in the classroom with my students. Proactive not reactive. Make decisions by being in charge (stop and think)and not based on emotions. It is ok to use stress as a motivation tool to get you through a deadline but watching your stress level to make sure that motivational stress does not get close to the danger stress!
