Understanding Stress

Some years ago, I met a psychology professor from Oxford who told me that most people misunderstand what stress is. We typically think that it is having a lot to do. He thinks that’s wrong.

When someone has a lot to do, but they’re making consistent progress on the most important thing, they’re not stressed. They’re satisfied. They often find themselves feeling that they’re in a productive “zone.”

On the other hand, if there is something important that they ought to be doing but on which they’re not making progress, that’s when stress peaks.

Source: Them by Senator Ben Sasse

This reminds me of Dennis Bakke who wrote about the good kind of stress in Joy at Work, too.

I think at its simplest it comes down to if a person has freedom or not. Stress is manageable and possibly even enjoyable if one has freedom and control over the situation.