Do you ever think of stress as having benefits?

It can and it does.

Stress acts as a watchdog. It alerts you that you are about to over-extend your body's ability to handle all the work it is asked to do. You can only do so much. Then your body should rest, both physically and emotionally.

Napoleon Hill in Master-Key to Riches says that scientists have determined that our minds are like icebergs: 10% above the water line and 90% below. So if you are extending the 10% above the water line, what is happening to the 90% below? Shouldn't it have a rest and refreshing even more? We are taught that our subconscious minds never rest. They are the caretakers of all our bodily functions. So let's help them do their jobs more effectively.

Start with rest throughout the day. Find a quiet moment, even if it's in the "powder room". It might be visiting with a positive person or walking away from a negative one. Anything to break the continual band of tension.

It may surprise you, but your boss would like you to relax a bit too. Should anything happen to you as a result of continually pushing yourself, he/she would have to find another willing "body". Talk about stress!

So find two ways to distract yourself when you feel the tension building. That's loss of control, so find a way to regain the control as soon as you recognize it happening. So see the benefit of stress: a warning signal to let you know its time to change direction, if only for a little while.