The effects of new kinds of stress

I love stress. This isn't exactly news. I get an intense rush from being on the edge, not knowing if I have what it takes the survive the stress, and then observing myself as I survive the stress with relative ease. Or at least I handle it with less difficulty than I would have expected.

There are a few different kinds of stress that I know of.

This year, I've traveled more than I've ever traveled before. I've visited six different countries. Each time has been stressful, and each has been less stressful than the previous. In the spring, I was stressing out about staying in a 5-star European hotel. Before the trip, I was sure the hotel staff would see that I wasn't rich and I would make some horrendous etiquette mistake and they would kick me out or at least treat me with resentment. This, of course, says more about my psychology than about anything else. Also, the staff was friendly to everyone. They didn't kick me out or consider me too poor to be there. The service was excellent and they took good care of me. I felt very rich indeed.

The next time we stayed in a 5-star hotel, it was all right. I didn't stress about it at all. It was natural. I knew what to expect.

I also experienced a little bit of stress before traveling in business class and staying at an all-inclusive resort, but when the time came, I forgot to feel awkward at all. It was new, but I felt at home. (I wonder if anything about travel will ever stress me out again after I survived that first 5-star hotel stress.)

Furthermore, whenever I come back home from my travels, I feel more confident to do stuff in my home country. It's like I've gotten used to a certain level of difficulty during the trip, and when you take out the language-related difficulty, everything else feels insanely easy.

Another kind of stress is work-related. I thrive on this kind of stress. I want to feel in a hurry and wondering if I'll make it in time. Having tons of work and little time to get it done makes me happy. This might be because I don't want to stop and acknowledge some problem in my psyche. But right now, I don't mind.

A third kind of stress is meaningless. It's not travel, which expands your comfort zone by showing you how non-intimidating some things you used to fear really are; it's not work, which pushes you to achievement; it's a third kind. Something you can't control happens and you just have to endure it. A loved one's health. Global economy. The behavior of other people.

I already knew how wonderful work-related stress is.

This year, I've learned the incredible benefits of travel-related stress.

The third kind? I think I might be immune to it.