What good stress does to your brain

Philippa Perry says:

“Good stress keeps our brains plastic.”

We all think we want less stress. But some level of stress is healthy. This is the basis of lifting heavy weights, for example. Or consider pitching. Stressful. And yet, often invigorating. If done with the right people.

Pitches are as close as you get to an R&D programme for your thinking. A good pitch is a high risk, high reward scenario, where the BAU rules don't apply just yet. You're not yet part of 'the system'. Wonderful.

This makes your brain plastic. You try new ways of briefing the work. Of developing it. Of pricing it. Of selling it. And what if you go too far? Either clients respect you stretching your abilities, or they realise it's not for them. Either way, it's a great self-selection mechanism.

Stress isn’t a bad thing in itself, it’s all in the dose. And the right dose can help yield effective results. And while plastic things are definitely bad for the planet, they can be a wonderful attribute of the mind.