1. You need it to think creatively

Stress often precedes a creative breakthrough. Enormous frustration about a certain problem can put you in a pressure-cooker situation that ultimately leads to a whole new way of thinking.

2. It improves your immune system

When you experience a peak in stress you will receive a cortisol-boost. This hormone temporarily strengthens your immune system. An overdose of cortisol in your body is not good, so be sure to schedule some relaxation and good counterbalances to the stress-peaks.

3. It ensures that you stay fit

Stress that you feel during exercise is good, it ensure that for the rest of the day you can perform your tasks better. By moving a lot you ensure that your body makes endorphins to work in perfect cooperation with the stress-hormones adrenalin and cortisol. These hormones play against each other, when you have too much cortisol and adrenaline, the endorphins bring them back into balance.

4. It helps you to solve problems

Stress can help you follow your intuition. When you’re worried and feel stressed about a problem in your life, it means you care a lot about that issue. Listen to what your stress is trying to tell you, why are you feeling stressed, where does it come from? What will you need to do to let it go? In other words, use the stress to find the best possible solution.

5. It keeps us safe

Stress keeps you alert. For instance, it gives parents a better sense of where danger might lurk for their kids. If you’re too relaxed, it could mean you’re not going to be alert enough at a crucial moment when there might be danger.

Check out this TED Talk on stress from health psychologist and author Kelly McGGonigal: