08/31/2021
This is me...12 years ago, about to go skydiving!
I will never forget my first roller coaster ride, on Space Mountain at Disneyland. I was 8, but I still remember waiting in line, feeling like I would burst with excitement! Since then, I have been sky-diving over the Swiss Alps, walked around the edge of the CN Tower here in Toronto, and visited Six Flags and Canada’s Wonderland over and over. In my former life as a classical musician, I was nervous before every single performance, big or small, and I got used to adrenaline surges as an almost daily part of life.
I’ve always felt that I thrive on stress! Just last weekend, I cooked a huge, elaborate dinner for 6, and I honestly felt thrilled with the adrenaline rush of running around a sweltering kitchen, checking on pots, chopping vegetables and plating food before my guests arrived. However, there have been times when stress has easily gotten out of hand and brought me to my knees. There was that one time in university when I had 4 final exams in 5 days, or that time when I was working as a Graduate Assistant and had to grade 106 papers in two weeks. Each time, I started out feeling thrilled, and wound up overwhelmed and burned out, and then seriously depressed.
There’s a term for stress that pushes us just far enough to help us feel engaged: eustress. Believe it or not, not all stress is bad, and when we have to push through barriers to achieve the things we want, that stress can provide meaning and a sense of accomplishment. So, the trick is to find a balance. For me, it will likely always be a challenge taking on enough stress to feel alive and accomplished, without burning out. And there will always be times where that chronic stress is unavoidable. That’s when I try to get extra organized, eat well and schedule time spent outdoors.
Are there any other adrenaline junkies out there? Let me know in the comments!
