This blog post was written by Justin Scherff, a Core Physical Therapy PT.
Lately, everyone feels stressed. Heck, even my kids say they are stressed… and they are only 11 and 8! I often wonder, was I stressed when I was a kid? I don’t know, but trying to figure it out stresses me out!
I’m learning in my own life that words matter. We need a generally agreed upon definition of words for proper communication to happen, to be in-relationship with one another. When we have different definitions of words, that’s where communication can be tricky. This is no more apparent than with my kids. They often come home from school strutting their stuff with a new word they learned. They feel big and powerful using this word, but when questioned they have no definition for what it means.
This got me thinking… I wonder who made up the word STRESS, and how did they define it?
Hello Google! 🤩
According to stress.org, stress was first defined as “the non-specific demand of the body to any demand for change.”
Now that is a really interesting definition, am I right?
I do know that this is not the definition our culture in 2024 is using. Right now, we have this idea: STRESS IS BAD, AND I HAVE TO ELIMINATE IT.
But the good news is… stress can be good also! It all depends on how we use it.
This picture below is a fascinating insight into our human function. Notice that there is GOOD stress and distress. Good stress causes us to live/move/grow, but notice there is a breaking point indicated by fatigue. THE HUMP!
If you find yourself somewhere on the left side of the curve, chances are you generally are in good health, good spirits, etc. On the right side of the curve, however, is where I meet most of my patients and where it seems like a majority of humanity sits.
As a physical therapist, we can help your body recover from the R side of the curve, and teach you strategies to help you live more of your life on the L side of the curve. It may take some time, multiple people on your team, but the journey is worth it.
Contact us today to learn more and book your first appointment.