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Eustress: The Good Stress
We all experience stress at some point. Whether it's daily chronic stress or occasional bumps in the road, stress can sneak up on us at any time.
What you may not know about stress is that it's not all bad. In fact, we can experience eustress, or positive stress, just as frequently as we do negative stress.
What is eustress?
If the idea of positive stress is new to you, you're not alone. Most of us equate all stress with negative experiences.
Clinical psychiatrist Dr. Michael Genovese says we rarely think of stress as a positive thing, but eustress is just that — positive stress. "Exciting or stressful events cause a chemical response in the body," he explained.
Eustress is usually a product of nerves, which can be brought on when faced with a fun challenge. Genovese says this is important because, without eustress, our well-being can suffer.
"Eustress helps us stay motivated, work toward goals, and feel good about life," he added.
What is distress?
In terms of opposites, distress and eustress are on either end of the spectrum. Unlike eustress, distress can make you feel overwhelmed because your resources (physically, mentally, emotionally) are inadequate to meet the demands you're facing.
Licensed professional counselor Casey Lee, MA, says this type of negative stress can lead to anxiety, depression, and a decrease in performance.
Working and living outside of our comfort zone is a good thing. It's when we feel overwhelmed that stress can turn negative. That's what makes eustress such an important part of our overall health.
"Eustress produces positive feelings of excitement, fulfillment, meaning, satisfaction, and well-being," Lee said. He explains that eustress is good because you feel confident, adequate, and stimulated by the challenge you experience from the stressor.
Psychologist Dr. Kara Fasone says eustress is all about sufficiently challenging yourself without expending all your resources. This type of stress empowers you to grow in three areas:
You can find eustress in all areas of your life. From work and interpersonal relationships to home and family relationships, opportunities to experience positive stress are abundant.
Fasone shares some ways you may see eustress show up in your life:
Eustress at work
An example of eustress at work is taking on a new project that encourages you to leverage existing strengths (which can be incredibly energizing) and requires you to hone existing skills or learn new ones.
Work-related projects will only drive eustress if they're challenging but realistic. If deadlines are unrealistically tight, you're juggling numerous projects (an unrealistic workload), or working with a toxic team culture, you're more likely to experience distress and the negative consequences that come with it.
Eustress in personal interests
Setting challenging goals around your interests or passions is another example of eustress. As humans, we have an innate ability to learn. Learning new things can be challenging. And growing expertise in an area doesn't happen in a straight line.
There's typically that learning stage where you may be absolutely terrible. But you're learning from those mistakes. As you start seeing small wins and continue to build self-efficacy, you're motivated to continue learning and improving.
Eustress and travel
Traveling is inherently stressful, especially when you're exploring a faraway place with a different language and customs.
At the same time, you're immersing yourself in a new and interesting place, with various foods to enjoy, new places to see, and a whole culture to experience.
Although stressful, traveling is an eye-opening experience for many people that's viewed positively.
Eustress and physical conditioning
Physically, eustress is exemplified by challenging your body (e.G., lifting weights) to encourage growth (in this case, strength, stamina, and muscle growth).
In the gym or out on a walking path, you might be jamming out to your tunes and totally zoned into your workout. You may not even realize how exhausting the work has become because you're caught up in the moment.
Eustress: The Stress You Actually Need
Have you ever seen a bride on her wedding day, a senior about to graduate or a person about to start their first day at a new job? Often, the person can feel restless or on edge and wondering why he or she feels stressed during a happy time. Stress is commonly regarded as something we experience during tough times, but there's actually a certain degree to which stress can be positive and even an indicator of a healthy and productive lifestyle. This is true for both positive and negative experiences of stress -- yes, that's right, I said positive experiences of stress. Stress from positive experiences is referred to as "eustress," which is pronounced yoo-stress. Examples of common eustress situations are:
-- Work: Getting a promotion or new job, or starting a stimulating graduate program.
-- Romance: Going on a hot date, moving in together or getting married.
-- Life: Buying a home or relocating to a new city that excites you.
[See: Am I Just Sad -- or Actually Depressed?]
It's perfectly normal to feel stressed about these big life events, and it's important that we understand this and not get "stressed about being stressed." When we experience stress, our bodies release certain stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Imagine the excited/nervous feeling you get right before you go on a rollercoaster: sweaty palms, racing heart, butterflies in your stomach -- these are your body's natural response to these stress hormones. Our bodies get the same effect when we experience excitement of most any kind, even excitement over relatively happy events. Short term, these bursts of stress hormones can actually be beneficial in that they can increase brain function, improve concentration and boost feelings of alertness.
However, we do need to recharge after the energy spike that stress (even eustress!) provides. If we don't recharge, or if we misinterpret the signs of stress as "problems," we run the risk of becoming "stressed about stress" or pushing ourselves to the brink of exhaustion. As a clinical psychologist specializing in high-productivity people, many of my clients secretly pride themselves on their high stress level because they think of it as assurance that they're "giving 110 percent." Certainly, this stress is what drives them to keep achieving at a higher level, at least in the short term. However, it can eventually lead to feeling frazzled and depleted.
[See: 11 Simple, Proven Ways to Optimize Your Mental Health.]
The good news is that once we learn to understand the effects of stress, even for positive events, we can take simple steps to recharge and renew our ability to enjoy another energy spike when we need it in the future. Most people are pretty good at nourishing themselves when they've had a rough day, but we also need to remember to recharge even after positive events.
How to manage eustress:
-- Give yourself permission to recharge even when things are going great.
-- Get a good night's rest or a relaxing massage so your body can settle down from all the excitement.
-- Go to the gym and do some cardio to burn off the excess adrenaline.
-- Make a list of all the feelings that go with your happy event. As you embark on something new, you may notice some feelings like nostalgia or fear of the unknown. Creating space for these feelings helps soothe stress.
[See: 8 Ways to Relax Now.]
Remember that stress is a normal part of the human experience, and that by taking healthy steps, you can actually use your stress to promote productivity.
Dr. Chloe Carmichael is a clinical psychologist who specializes in stress management, personal and professional goal attainment, and relationships. Dr. Chloe is the head of her private practice in New York City, where six therapists work under her direction to do therapy and coaching at her Park Avenue office or through live video conference all over the globe. Additionally, Dr. Chloe offers online anxiety management tools through her on-demand video learning program. Dr. Chloe has been featured on VH1, CBS, FOX and other television as well as print media. Follow her on Twitter @DrChloe_.
Eustress Vs. Distress: What Is The Difference?
The terms refer to different types of stress. Eustress feels challenging but manageable and leads to growth, while distress is difficult and has a negative impact. However, the effect will largely depend on individual factors.
Not all experts agree with the concepts of eustress and distress. For example, a 2020 paper argues that these labels imply that some forms of stress are "good" while others are "bad." However, whether stress has a positive or negative effect on a person depends on a wide variety of factors.
An event that one person experiences as stressful but ultimately rewarding might be profoundly upsetting to another person. A 2021 study found that a key factor in this is whether the person has the right resources to manage the challenge.
Read on to learn more about eustress versus distress, including their differences, the signs of both, and their impact.
Eustress and distress are terms that categorize different types of stress. At one end of the spectrum is distress, which involves negative feelings and is often a difficult experience. At the other end is eustress, which is challenging but rewarding.
People can experience eustress when they feel confident in their ability to solve a problem or cope with a situation. For example, they may feel stressed about an exam but know that they have prepared enough to be able to do it. Afterward, they might feel a sense of accomplishment or pride.
In comparison, distress can occur when a person feels unable to cope or out of their depth. For example, if a person has not studied for a forthcoming exam, they may feel anxious or panicked.
However, distress is not inherently damaging. In some cases, people who initially feel distressed in a situation may become motivated to address a problem, leading to better outcomes in the future. Their experience of the stress may also change over time.
Using the example above, a person who is not prepared for an exam might create a study plan so that they can perform better next time. Alternatively, they might feel distressed before the exam but then realize that they are more capable than they had believed. In this case, their feelings might change from distress to eustress.
Distress can also occur in situations that are beneficial. For example, a person may feel distress when they break up with a partner, even though they know that doing so is what is best for them.
Some examples of experiences that may trigger eustress include:
Some examples of experiences that may trigger distress include:
Whether people experience eustress or distress depends on their unique perspective and circumstances.
Some signs of eustress and distress include:
A person's experience of stress is subjective, and there is no right or wrong way to feel. Many factors can influence how a person responds to a challenging situation.
According to some psychologists, a significant factor is the resources to which a person has access. These resources could be physical objects, such as:
They could also be nonphysical resources, such as:
The conservation of resources (COR) theory predicts that those with more resources will cope more effectively with adversity. A 2021 study put this to the test by examining how 839 people responded to COVID-19 lockdowns in Spain.
Although many people reported some distress during this time, the researchers found that those with more personal resources experienced more eustress, particularly those who reported having "vitality." This term refers to a sense of good mental and physical well-being.
Distress was associated with a lack of resources, particularly with regard to employment, job satisfaction, and the home environment. Those with a lack of space were more likely to experience distress.
Stress is not necessarily always negative. Although stress of any type does take a toll on the body over time, it can be beneficial in the short term.
Stress occurs due to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which leads to the fight-or-flight response. The sympathetic nervous system helps people respond to things that scare them by:
In some situations, these physiological changes can give people an advantage. For example, an athlete with a manageable amount of stress may gain physical benefits from the extra energy and oxygen, ultimately aiding their performance.
However, any type of stress can become harmful when the sympathetic nervous system is often or always "switched on."
This may happen due to chronic stress, where a person feels stressed frequently over an extended period. It can also happen due to certain conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Chronic or traumatic stress can trigger oxidative stress, which is when free radicals damage cell DNA. This damage can cause tissue degeneration, raise the likelihood of disease, and accelerate aging.
In the short term, though, moderate levels of stress may cause "oxidative eustress," which is when a low level of free radicals challenge the body, causing it to become more efficient.
Stress may be harmful if it becomes unmanageable, lasts for weeks or months, or is due to a problem for which a person can find no solution.
People can promote eustress in several ways. A simple way to do this is to participate in activities that are challenging but feel doable and have a clear route forward. A person could try:
For challenges that a person has not sought out, promoting eustress may involve one of two strategies: making the challenge easier or increasing resources. Both make the problem more manageable.
For example, an organization might reduce high levels of distress among employees by reducing workloads or adjusting goals.
Alternatively, they might give people more resources by hiring extra help, providing training, or reducing meetings to give people more time.
Any type of stress can feel unpleasant in the moment. However, not all types are harmful. In fact, eustress may come with rewarding feelings that encourage personal growth in the long term. It is possible that eustress may have a beneficial effect on physical health, too.
However, distress stems from intense, challenging stress that a person feels unable to manage. Turning distress into eustress may help expand a person's coping resources and foster resilience.
If possible, people experiencing chronic or unmanageable stress should seek support.
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