Some stress is good for you
Stress for Success
December 3, 2013
Given the plethora of stress information,
it’s easy to draw the conclusion that stress is bad for you. Of course, this
isn’t always the case. In fact, if you successfully got rid of all of your
stress, where would you be? Dead! Stress is a very normal part of life. The
trick is to have the amount of stress in your life that motivates you to want
to get out of bed every day to tackle what’s in front of you. In fact, being
overly bored with too little pressure can be as stressful as being overly
challenged.
Harmful stress is called “distress,”
while good stress is called, “eustress.” As I have written many times before,
stress is in the mind of the beholder so the following examples of distress and
eustress are not universal. It depends upon how you perceive these events. But
here’s an attempt to provide examples of each.
Eustress:
·
Motivates
you, focuses your energy and improves your performance;
·
It’s
shorter-term;
·
You
believe the challenge is within your ability to handle;
·
It
can be exciting;
Such as:
ü Any new
sought-after opportunity such as a promotion at work;
ü Marriage or
child birth;
ü Buying a new
home;
ü Vacation;
ü Retiring;
Distress:
·
Causes
anxiety, worry, and harms performance;
·
Can
be short- or long-term;
·
You
don’t think you’re up to the task;
·
It
can lead to illness and disease development;
Such as:
ü Death of a
loved one;
ü Divorce;
ü Illness,
disease, or injury to yourself or a loved one,
ü Interpersonal
conflict;
ü Financial
stress,
ü Sleep
problems;
Eustress
can certainly turn into distress:
·
That
new job becomes too demanding;
·
The
marriage isn’t working out well;
What determines whether a particular
stressor will be eustress or distress is determined by how you perceive your ability
to handle it. For example, you see a work situation as a challenge (more likely
eustress) but your colleague sees it as an imposition (probably distress). Another
example, you stick your head in the sand when confronted by conflicts so will
probably face distress. A more assertive person may assess their conflict
resolution skills as high and deal with and resolve the conflict.
Turning distress into eustress then
requires a feeling of competence in handling the situation. To experience more
eustress and less distress you may either need to have more confidence in what
you’re capable of handling and/or become more skilled where you are lacking.
It’s also helpful to understand that
symptoms from your stress response are normal and helpful, assuming they aren’t
in the panic range. In research done by Dr. Jeremy Jamieson of the University
of Rochester, study participants gave a public speech. Before beginning, half were
coached on the benefits of the stress response. The other half received no such
information. The group instructed to see the stress response as adaptive
increased their cardiac output and gave better speeches compared to
participants who received no instructions. So, in your own stressful situations
reframe your stress symptoms. Assure yourself that your sweaty palms and pounding
heart are an asset to help you think faster and better.
Finally, all change equals stress
due to the unknowns associated with change and to the fact that perception of insufficient
control is one definition of stress. It’s hard to control the unknown, after
all. Think about some of the good changes you’ve experienced: a new job,
marriage, the birth of your children. All of these also brought you stress.
Without eustress in your life nothing would change or improve.
So embrace more of your stress and
see it as necessary to spur you on to greater things.
Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S. is an international
speaker and a Stress and Wellness Coach.
Order her book, Let Your Body Win:
Stress Management Plain & Simple, at http://www.letyourbodywin.com/bookstore.html.
Email her to request she speak to your organization at jferg8@aol.com.
