Relax! Stress, if Managed, Can Be Good For You

When work gets overwhelming, Daniel Lobring picks up his drumsticks.

More established are the daily psychological consequences that stem from a lack of challenge: boredom, low energy, and a reduced sense of accomplishment. Teresa Walden, 44, grew all too familiar with these feelings in the years after quitting her in-house-attorney position in Austin to raise her two sons. She assumed that going back to her position once her sons started school would restore her mojo, but instead she felt stymied by the same old work. Ultimately, Walden decided to become a life coach. "I definitely feel more energized, more alive with purpose and intention," she says. "It makes me a better mom."

Whether you're bored or overwhelmed, reaching the optimal stress zone requires bridging the gap "between your current reality and your desired future," says psychologist Rosen. "There's the voice inside you that says take a leap, go forward, but there's also the voice that holds you back, warning that it's too risky." His five-step plan for getting through the gap: Identify what you want to change; imagine your desired outcome; assess your current situation; analyze what it will take to get you to your future goal; and take action to get there, setting one small goal at a time.

Try the cure-all. Beyond using your mental processes to manage your response to stress, there's that terrific physiological tool: exercise. Regular physical activity is the single best thing you can do to gain energy if you're understressed and to relax if you're frazzled, say experts. A 2007 study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that people who exercise at least two or three times a week have smaller increases in blood pressure, heart rate, and inflammatory chemicals when given stressful word-naming tasks than those who never exercise.

Researchers now think that exercise triggers the release of "feel good" endorphins in the brain, one of which, enkephalin, is believed to prevent the release of excessively high levels of adrenaline and cortisol. A session of exercise also triggers the stress response—a plus for those who are underchallenged. If you're having either a stressful or a low-energy day, head for the gym or squeeze in a 20-minute ultrabrisk walk, recommends Mark Hamer, an exercise physiologist at University College in London. You'll get the biggest benefits within an hour after you work out.

Any treat that activates your brain's pleasure centers—a massage, a piece of rich chocolate, a funny movie—can similarly dampen your stress levels. Novelty is what you're shooting for if your stress levels are too low: Head to an amusement park, sign up for a challenging art class, or take a rafting trip down some rapids. With practice, you can get good at avoiding that "most useless place...for people just waiting...for a better break...another chance," in the words of Dr. Seuss in Oh, the Places You'll Go! His advice: "When things start to happen, don't worry. Don't stew. Just go right along. You'll start happening too."