By Tony Samson
HAS THERE ever been a doctor who informed you that stress is good for you? Not too many. Still, a little stress can be beneficial.
Before it became a tool for checking the soundness of banks, “stress test” referred to a medical procedure. It is part of a general check-up that those over 40 (and below 80) undergo, as the body starts showing signs of sub-prime performance in many areas, like liquidity and asset disposal.
The patient steps on the treadmill, the same machine one finds in gyms. His bare chest is attached with suction cups at certain points wired to a monitoring machine to track heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure as he walks then jogs on the treadmill that may even be gradually raised to an incline. In the medical facility, there are no mirrors on the side as there are in gyms, to save the patient from the sight of the wreck the patient calls his body, trying to stay vertical. The eye test comes afterwards.
The patient is put at ease by being asked irrelevant questions (Are those sneakers new?) to check if he is still capable of speech as the speed and angle of the treadmill is raised. The heartbeat rate and time to return to normal breathing provide a medical scorecard on the patient’s condition. Sir, don’t sleep yet.
The US Fed stress test after the financial meltdown of 2008 was designed to see how strong banks were and what speed and steepness they could take before they fell off the financial treadmill. How much losses can a bank absorb, and what kind of provisioning for bad debts and other risks need to be provided for?
Unlike tests that students take to validate what knowledge they have acquired and retained, the financial stress tests are designed not to give out grades. They intend to determine how much additional tutoring the student requires in order to pass or if they can still stay in school.
Can the stress test be applied outside the areas of health and banking?
Stresses are routinely inflicted by critics and media on their favorite politicians. Bashers do not always work in tandem although they sometimes strike at the same time. A leader, even in the corporate setting, is having his heartbeat raised as the treadmill he’s on moves faster, with the background music rising in volume too. Reaction to stress rather than the stress points themselves indicate the health of the patient… and the impatient.
Stress tests are also used in the manufacturing process. They determine the resistance levels of materials prior to their breaking point. The glass windows used in high-rise buildings are subjected to ever-increasing pressure in wind tunnels to test the glass’s tensile strength. This grading of resistance to stress determines the quality of a building’s façade, as well as its price.
Relationships too are subject to stress. (We will not get into the favorite love triangle in show biz.) The romantic treadmill is sometimes referred to as the “slippery slope” and is haunted by ghosts of the digital kind. A partner can get used to quirks like snoring, bad breath, or habitual tardiness. Every stress point leads to new rules and expectations, sometimes new partners who bring on different sets of pressures.
For physical fitness, stress is a necessary component to tone the muscles and improve body strength and stamina. Lifting weights, pulling springs, and pushing heavy objects offer different stresses for body building. Isn’t there a mantra in the gym — no pain, no gain? (I’ll take the first, please.)
In life, we are often told to avoid stress. Studies show that emotional rattling of the mind from anxiety, pressure, and tension can lead to physical ailments. There are all sorts of inducements to relax and take siestas (alone, if possible) or pamper oneself with a body scrub using Dead Sea salt. All are aimed to relieve stress and prolong life.
However, not being subject to any stress at all can make the body (and soul) sluggish and the muscles flaccid. There is no need to specify which muscles these are.
A little stress can keep the mind alert. The little puzzles of life can stimulate us — where do I get money for rent? Something will come up, usually the pulse rate.
Tony Samson is Chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda.
