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> and there's no such thing as "good stress." this is not true though. I have a close friend who comes from a very wealthy family, to the point where, if he wa

> and there's no such thing as "good stress." this is not true though. I have a close friend who comes from a very wealthy family, to the point where, if he wants to, he doesn't have to work another day in his life. it took him something like eight years to get a four-year degree. he's struggled a lot with motivation over the years, and I became increasingly empathetic toward his situation the more I talked to him about it. it's really hard to find motivation to do stuff, even stuff you tell yourself you want to do, if it takes effort, and if there's no proverbial "fire lit under your ass" to get you to actually do something ("if I don't get another job before the end of next month, I won't have enough money to pay rent", etc.). I've done some of my best creative work while under immense stress. great things rarely, if ever, get created in zero-stress environments. this idea that stress is always objectively bad is a very first-world way of thinking.

ls15 4y ago
Regardless of creative or academic output, how is your friend feeling health-wise?
- adamrezich 4y ago
  after a few dark months of largely staying at home and watching youtube all day, he's doing great now, working at a game development collective sort of thing making stuff with other creative people. I'm actually a bit jealous of his situation now, because I had to leave that career behind, but I'm really happy that he got out of the depression-hole ("bad stress") and is now actively working with other people directly (in-person, in an office!) making cool stuff and vibing with other creative minds, even despite having deadlines to deal with ("good stress"). he seems happier than he's been in years and I'm glad things have ended up working out well for him after a period of darkness (something which pretty much happened to me just a couple years ago, too).
Spivak 4y ago
Your two examples are harm reduction, not of "good stress." In both cases the actual stress is still bad for you. If your friend had motivation that was not based on imminent danger that would be better. If you could do creative work while not under stress that would be better. Stress is objectively bad for your health. That's a different statement from "in certain cases I need to compromise my heath for a greater good."
- adamrezich 4y ago
  > Stress is objectively bad for your health. That's a different statement from "in certain cases I need to compromise my heath for a greater good." I never said anything about a "greater good", but I don't disagree that stress is objectively bad for your health, to some degree. but it's a tradeoff you have to make if you want to succeed. before our modern first-world society of wealth and safety, this was obvious to everyone, but it seems as though we've forgotten it. nobody is "owed" or "has a fundamental right" (or whatever) to living a stress-free life. life is a struggle, a competition, a game where there are winners and losers, and you have to do what you can to "win." this is just the immutable nature of… well, nature itself. > If you could do creative work while not under stress that would be better. that would be nice, but that's just not how it works for 99.99% of people!

ls15 4y ago

Regardless of creative or academic output, how is your friend feeling health-wise?

adamrezich 4y ago
after a few dark months of largely staying at home and watching youtube all day, he's doing great now, working at a game development collective sort of thing making stuff with other creative people. I'm actually a bit jealous of his situation now, because I had to leave that career behind, but I'm really happy that he got out of the depression-hole ("bad stress") and is now actively working with other people directly (in-person, in an office!) making cool stuff and vibing with other creative minds, even despite having deadlines to deal with ("good stress"). he seems happier than he's been in years and I'm glad things have ended up working out well for him after a period of darkness (something which pretty much happened to me just a couple years ago, too).

Spivak 4y ago

Your two examples are harm reduction, not of "good stress." In both cases the actual stress is still bad for you. If your friend had motivation that was not based on imminent danger that would be better. If you could do creative work while not under stress that would be better. Stress is objectively bad for your health. That's a different statement from "in certain cases I need to compromise my heath for a greater good."

adamrezich 4y ago
> Stress is objectively bad for your health. That's a different statement from "in certain cases I need to compromise my heath for a greater good." I never said anything about a "greater good", but I don't disagree that stress is objectively bad for your health, to some degree. but it's a tradeoff you have to make if you want to succeed. before our modern first-world society of wealth and safety, this was obvious to everyone, but it seems as though we've forgotten it. nobody is "owed" or "has a fundamental right" (or whatever) to living a stress-free life. life is a struggle, a competition, a game where there are winners and losers, and you have to do what you can to "win." this is just the immutable nature of… well, nature itself. > If you could do creative work while not under stress that would be better. that would be nice, but that's just not how it works for 99.99% of people!