Three benefits of extreme stress:
1. You discover what you are made of. You come to realize that you are stronger than you ever dreamed. Your sense of what you are capable of shifts and becomes an “immune system” that allows you to face other challenges in your future more easily.
2. It deepens all of your relationships. You get to find out who your real friends are. The depth and the appreciation of those friendships is extraordinary. When you experience an extreme stressor and you aren’t able to give everyone everything they want, your fair-weather friends disappear. Remember, what truly makes people most happy is their internal emotional and social relationships.
3. Changes your consciousness. When things are going well we keep expecting things to keep going well. It puts a different perspective on your life. You value the little things in life more.
People who face extreme stress, instead of hiding from it, can experience benefits. We are all stronger than we think we are. Winter doesn’t last forever and what follows is a beautiful springtime. If you remember that, you can go to work and focus on what you can do to change your life, change your perspective, rather than denying it or living in fear.
