Dual Enrollment English

Bowman 1

Amber Bowman

Wellens

9 December 2009

Good Stress

Imagine an athlete in a close competition, glancing at the score. With less than ten seconds remaining, the score is tied. Should the athlete feel any stress to make the game winning shot? Of course! Their coaches, teammates, and fans all remind them of the importance of these points. The athlete’s feeling of anxiety may be helpful to their overall performance. If someone were to ask a college athlete about “good stress,” many would probably say it does not exist. However, stress is not always terrible. Some stress is expected and actually beneficial. Good stress produces a competitive drive within athletes. As college athletes feel stressed, their minds clear, they focus, and effortlessly their goal is met. Stress can help athletes attain difficult goals and perform at their maximum potential (Anshel).

Envision what a college athlete’s life entails: maintaining exceptional grades, vigorous training, sustaining a social life, and dealing with family separation. Naturally, these high demands place immense amounts of stress on them. In the past, most people viewed stress as something negative (Weaver). Could stress actually be advantageous to a college athlete? According to a Health Newsweek article, written by Mary Carmichael, scientists say: “Yes, stress can be advantageous, and is overlooked by most scientists and ignored by others.” Obviously stress can be harmful to a college athlete’s well being, especially if it makes them susceptible to depression or resorting to violent actions. What Bowman 2 most people don’t know is that underneath stress’ bad reputation lie positive effects.

These effects include energy and the ability to stay focused. Even though stress can have negative effects on a college athlete’s mind and body, it can still be beneficial to their overall health (Carmichael).

According to Stress Focus website, millions of college athletes suffer from stress each year. College athletes are more knowledgeable of the negative effects that stress produces even though there are a few positive effects stress can cause (“Positive”).

College athletes need to be informed of what good stress is so they can use it to better themselves. Good stress, also known as eustress, is the anticipation athletes have when they are unsure whether they, their team, or the opposing team will score next (Anshel).

Instead of feeling depressed and overwhelmed, athletes feel nervous, yet cheerful and excited from good stress. Eustress is like a high for college athletes, enabling them to push themselves to exceed their limitations. Healthy stress allows them to react quickly when the need arises (Anshel). College athletes should take advantage of this dose of healthy stress, because it could potentially boost their performance.

Not only do college athletes need to perform at their best on the court or field, but they also need to be on top of their game in the classroom. With finals, exams, and papers, college athletes must maintain good grades to be eligible to play. Poor grades equal higher levels of stress. Some stress will help them perform at their best. All college athletes endure and feel stress differently, though. It is important for them to know their limitations and use the amount of good stress to benefit themselves (Anshel).

Academically, good stress may help a college athlete work more efficiently towards a Bowman 3 deadline. It all depends on the athlete; some individuals may work better under pressure than others.

Without energy, college athletes would not be able to push themselves physically or mentally. Dr. Lynne Tan, a psychiatrist at Montefiore Medical Center, says, “Stress is a burst of energy…It’s our body telling us what we need to do.” The quick boost of energy athletes feel when they sprint up the field or court to defend an opponent is due to competitive stress factors (Carmichael). The small burst of hormones those athletes feel when they are under pressure to complete a task is due to stress. The energized feedback stress gives college athletes is comforting to them.

Good stress contributes to emotional health (Weaver). For example, college athletes want to feel like they are in control of what is going to happen, or what is going on. Even though they have advisors, coaches, and parents trying to plan out their lives, it is important for athletes to have a sense of responsibility too. With good stress, college athletes can feel accomplished and in charge. Consequently, stress is one thing that college athletes do not want to remove from their game.

College athletes have a continuously demanding lifestyle. Their ongoing busy schedules make it easy for them to stay busy and stressed. Remaining stressed is not always a bad thing, though. The stressful schedule that college athletes have helps them avoid making poor decisions (Weaver). College athletes are restricted to a healthy diet, so without the pressure to stay true to it, who knows what they would consume. With diet plans come workout plans. If college athletes did not have to remain in such great shape, they wouldn’t spend as much time in the gym. Without stress, they wouldn’t be driven to become quicker, more powerful, or more agile. Bowman 4

Positive stress comes in small doses. In Health Magazine, Mary Carmichael states: “Stress is like a body temperature: if it’s too low or too high, you can’t survive, but the right balance can keep you going strong” (Carmichael). Why shouldn’t college athletes use stress positively? Positive stress helps athletes meet physical and mental challenges and goals. For instance, a track star may use good stress to spark an explosive sprint off the starting blocks. Bad stress could be dangerous to the mental and physical well being of a college athlete. Too much stress will cause health problems or lead to violent actions. Another bonus to good stress is the short time frame it is active. Bad stress can plague college athletes for extensive amounts of time. Good stress is the only kind of stress that lasts for a short amount of time; therefore, good stress causes little to no damage to the body and contributes to a healthier, longer life.

College athletes need to realize that stress does have positive effects on their mental and physical health. Stress is needed for them to reach their goals, perform at their highest potential, and most importantly, to enhance their health. Positive stress should not be confused with negative stress. Deborah Gillespie related stress to food in her article,

Eustress for Success. She believes that stress is essential for all college athletes’ well being, just like food is. Healthier food choices and more exercise need to be done by those who consume more food, meaning those who stress more. Stress affects all athletes differently; some athletes have a higher tolerance for stress than others do (Gillespie). But without any stress at all, college athletes would not have the ability to mentally or physically push themselves. Bowman 5

Works Cited

Anshel, Mark. “Positive Stress is Good For You.” August 2008. Web. 28 November

Carmichael, Mary. “Why Says Stress is Bad For You?” Newsweek. 14 February 2009.

Web. 28 November 2009.

Gillespie, Deborah. “Eustress For Success.” Picolio. June 2007. Web. 28 November

“Positive vs. Negative Stress.” Stress Focus. 2009. Web. 28 November 2009.

Weaver, Jane. “Can Stress Actually Be Good For You?” MSNBC. 20 December 2006.

Web. 28 November 2009.