Stress is a major factor in determining our health. Stress is actually important for good performance, even though we don’t want too much of it. Usually, when we consider stressful situations in our life, we picture overwhelming, upsetting aspects of our lives. We make an effort to reduce this kind of stress. But stress in a different way gives us a sense of life. We ought to try to optimize this kind of stress.
Not everyone experiences stress. Although they might seem identical at the time, there are two distinct kinds of stress and they affect our bodies in quite different ways. Distress refers to the first kind of stress that was previously discussed, whereas eustress refers to the second. In general, we are negatively impacted by distress and positively impacted by eustress.
It’s simple to assume that stress instances will always fit into one of two categories. For instance, we might believe that while exercising usually relieves stress, work pressures are always upsetting. Although these classifications might be accurate in the majority of cases, there are additional aspects that influence how our bodies will react, so it’s not as easy as simply labeling a certain task or situation as either distress or eustress.
Certain indicators can help us determine if a stressful situation will likely have a positive or negative impact on us. Whenever we consider challenging situations or assignments, we frequently experience feelings of overwhelm or impossibility. This indicates distress. The ability to identify that a task is difficult and that we can handle it, rather than the task itself being easy, is an indication of eustress.
The emotions we experience during a stressful event, our level of confidence in ourselves during that particular activity, and our physical reactions to it are additional indicators that might help us distinguish between distress and eustress. Distress can be indicated by negative feelings, low self-esteem, and unsatisfactory physical reactions, whereas eustress can be indicated by the reverse.
Although the majority of us are normally searching for methods to lessen the amount of distress in our lives, we shouldn’t lump all types of stress together and steer clear of actions that may also be deemed to be eustressful. Having a good physical response to stressful tasks is essential to feeling content, self-assured, and joyful.
Our mental and physical well-being will suffer if we steer clear of any obstacles in our lives. It’s critical that we make the time to deliberately include demanding activities that are doable, rewarding, and consistent with our values in our life. Overcoming such obstacles with success can benefit every part of our health.
To attain or preserve physical health, we must learn to manage our stress levels. When doing so, aim to reduce the level of discomfort while regularly including eustress activities. Each will see this in a different way.
Make careful to base your stress-related decisions on your personal experiences with various demanding activities, taking into account your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.