![]() In this article, we are going to provide a comprehensive discussion about both positive and negative stress. Make sure that you know the major differences between the two, as each type requires a different approach for stress management. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –įeatured image: 365::225 – The Dark Half by bulliver / CC BY-SA 2.Did you know that there are two different types of stress? The first one is called positive stress or eustress, while the second is called negative stress or distress.įrom the names alone, you can already determine that eustress can positively impact people, while distress can cause trouble or issues to some individuals if it persist. How can you begin to change the way that you think about stress in your life? If stress is natural and inevitable, why not choose to harness its motivating power to create positive change, rather than allow it create pain and drain your emotional resources? Just because you had less than stellar examples of how to handle stress growing up, that does not mean that you cannot choose to act differently as an adult and be a different kind of example to your own children.Ĭhange is constant and each stressful event in your daily life, from the little things to the big things, is an opportunity to practice new ways of responding. ![]() Remember the importance of reflecting back on your own childhood experience, recognizing the myriad of ways in which the examples that we witness as children affect our tendencies as adults. If we had parents/caregivers who adequately and appropriately responded to stressful events without allowing emotions to get in the way of making positive change, then it may come more “naturally” as an adult to respond to stress in this way. On the other hand, if we were fortunate enough in childhood to witness adults using stress constructively to bring about positive change and growth, then we have likely internalized healthy examples of how to handle stress. How do you recall your parents/caregivers typically responding to their own (or your) stress? If we learned that stress is unbearable, painful, or otherwise “bad” then we usually carry this emotional and mental “baggage” with us into adulthood and see our own adult stress through this lens. ![]() We originally learn about “how” to respond to stress through the examples that we witnessed as children. We all handle stress differently as the result of a lifetime of repeated experiences with stressful events. How do you typically respond to stressful events in your life? Do you allow yourself to sit with stress and use stressful energy constructively? Do you feel overwhelmed by stress and turn towards a state of panic or physical/emotional withdrawal? May lead to physical illness/mental fatigue/emotional depletion.Decreases overall performance/abilities.Some common characteristics of distress are: Believed to be within our capabilities/something we can handle.Some common characteristics of eustress are: While we certainly cannot control many tragic events in life that will inevitably bring about painful distress (e.g., death of a loved one, personal tragedy) we have far more control than we realize over the way that we choose to respond to the natural, everyday stressors of life (e.g., running late, misplacing something, missing a deadline, an argument, etc.). While one type of stress is positive (eustress) and another negative (distress), the ways in which they manifest themselves in our lives are largely within our control. There are two very different types of stress – eustress and distress – that we experience. If we felt no stress, we would not be compelled to act in ways that bring about meaningful change. Stress motivates us to changes our behaviors and move us closer to our chosen goals, dreams, and aspirations. ![]() The manner in which stress affects us depends upon how we choose to think about stress, use stress, and respond to stress. We all experience stress in our everyday lives. “It is how people respond to stress that determines whether they will profit from misfortune or be miserable.” – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
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