Most of us view stress as bad or negative. It’s something that should be reduced or even eliminated. We’re unaware that stress is just another way for our body to react or respond to something on the outside. Depending on the type of stressor and our reaction, stress can be positive and beneficial (eustress) or negative and detrimental (distress).
The terms eustress and distress were conceived by Dr Hans Selye, a Hungarian researcher and endocrinologist. Distress can significantly impact your mental health, physical health, and productivity. On the contrary, eustress can optimise your overall well-being and performance. Eustress may be viewed as just the correct amount of stress. It makes you feel focused, determined, and motivated when given a challenge. If you dwell on the negative side (distress), you view the challenge as a threat and face it with anxiety. Our view of stress is vital because it covers almost everything and anything on this planet. We encounter stress daily in our homes, workplace, and even at our kid’s football practice.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DISTRESS AND EUSTRESS
| EUSTRESS Good Stress = Health Benefits |
DISTRESS Bad Stress = Health Risks |
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Health impacts of eustress:
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Health impacts of distress:
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Examples of stressors that are usually perceived as eustress by default:
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Examples of stressors that are usually perceived as distress:
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Some stressors identified as distress may be viewed as eustress. It all depends on the person’s mindset and perception. But some distress stressors will remain as is because they’re simply impossible or too difficult to view as having a positive impact.
One useful way to apply the concept of distress and eustress is to list down all the stressors in your life. Group each one into either distress or eustress. After grouping them, think of how some of those under distress could become stressors under eustress. The more stressors you transfer under eustress, the better you will be able to cope with the remaining stressors under distress.
Enhance your eustress response. Studies have shown that cold therapy can enhance your eustress response.
Cold exposure temporarily increases the production of norepinephrine (attention, mood, focus) and endorphins. These hormones produce a feeling of happiness, calmness, and well-being, which are beneficial in handling eustress. Cold therapy is a form of eustress that can better equip your body for distress.
Changing your present perspective on stress can undoubtedly help with stress management (from distress to eustress). Of course, this isn’t a one size fits all solution. If you have a lot of challenges and struggles in your life, even your perception of stress as eustress can become pathologic and lead to negative impacts on your health. Dealing with stress takes practice. The idea of eustress and distress is a useful concept to help you deal with everyday stress. Their introduction in this article is just the tip of the iceberg.
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