good stress, good. fire, bad.

My dear friend and balance mentor Renée Trudeau and her book, The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal, were part of a June 5th U.S. News & World Report article about the silver lining of stress. Interesting piece, especially for we who have accepted — nay, embraced — stress as an essential element of life. Some highlights:

— In normal doses, adrenaline and other 'fight or flight' hormones improve performance and seem to even protect health. They increase alertness and motivate you to get things done by quickening the heartbeat, improving blood flow to the brain, and enhancing vision and hearing. And in small amounts, studies suggest, they boost the immune system and may protect against age-related memory loss by keeping brain cells alive. University of Texas researchers recently found that those engaged in challenging and creative work enjoy better health — the equivalent to being nearly seven years younger.

— The problem with overwhelming stress? In the short term, the rush of stress hormones can make people less productive, even mentally paralyzed. Think writer's block. When the overload becomes chronic, heart disease, depression and an impaired immune system can result.

— The ultimate goal is to hit a stress response appropriate for a given situation: You want to be in low gear when you're, say, watching TV, medium when you're doing carpool, and high — but not overdrive — when you're under a deadline crunch.

— Biology undoubtedly plays a role in how easily you hit the target .... But modifiable beliefs and expectations factor in, too. ... 'Buddhists have this idea that every time we breathe, the world changes,' Robert Rosen [author of Just Enough Anxiety] says. A philosophy of acceptance allows them to make peace with what they can't control — like an earthquake, inflation or an oppressive political regime.

— Successfully striking a balance between acceptance and that need for control is what most separates the healthfully stimulated from the stress-crazed. The former feel like captains of their own ship, while the latter feel like passengers. ... It's all about being proactive rather than placing blame — as much as we'd like to put it on our parents — or sitting back and feeling helpless.

Click here for the whole article, including tips on how to achieve balance aboard the stress see-saw . . .