Good vs. Bad Stress
By Kaylee Chou
Stress is a natural part of life, and throughout the many different stages of life that we navigate, it will always be a factor we have to deal with. Whether it’s studying for an important exam, earning a new job or moving out of your home, we all know how stress is an inevitable everyday part of life. However, it tends to get a bad rap in the media with articles often headlining the many ways it can have negative impacts in our lives, and highlighting all possible prevention methods. Don’t get me wrong: too much stress is definitely unhealthy and should be avoided. But, there is a major difference between good and bad stress, especially in how it can affect our lives both negatively and positively. So, how do we identify this?
Bad stress can be both short and long term, however, the main difference between the two is that long term stress takes a heavy toll on your day-to-day life and leaves you feeling anxious, confused and unfocused. Short term stress is most often referred to as acute, whereas long term is chronic. According to Very Well Mind, unlike acute stress, people are not built to handle the constant strain of chronic stress; once we undergo an overwhelming feeling of it, our bodies don’t have enough time to relax, leading you to be stuck in the constant state of chronic stress.
Though there are a wide range of stressors that can trigger chronic stress, common examples include working in an unhealthy environment, having relationship problems or losing a loved one.
These events take a physical, mental and emotional toll on our bodies, and can affect your overall health in the long run. Although the amount of symptoms people experience varies, here are the most common signs that you are suffering with chronic stress:
Frequent moodiness
Struggling with self esteem
Unable to relax your mind
Low energy levels
Body aches (headaches, stomachaches, muscle pain)
Chest pains
Disorganization
Mind is constantly wondering
Forgetfulness
Ensuring that you identify your symptoms early on is key to leading a happier, healthier lifestyle being that the long term effects include developing mental health issues, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal problems, and skin and hair problems.
Many people struggle with chronic stress and it can hit unexpectedly.
In fact, The New Zealand Defence Force has a page sharing stories of people dealing with different mental health issues, often a result of chronic stress. One of these people includes Matt. Before Matt was deployed for the Australian Army, his work period was “busy and stressful,” noting that the way he saw life “took a dark turn.” His high levels of stress and anxiety began affecting those around him and he was nervous about how the stigma of mental health would impact his career.
As Matt realized his stress levels were at an all time high, he decided to seek help from his command chain and explained that the Army helped him sort his difficulties out. However, after recovering, when another deployment opportunity was offered, Matt was found to be “medically downgraded;” therefore wouldn’t qualify. Although he understood their reasoning, he entered another dark period, developing depression and anxiety.
Throughout this tough journey, Matt discovered personal coping strategies, such as deep breathing and opening up to loved ones. Though there are good and bad days, he notes that one of the most important things to practice is acceptance: “Depression does not manifest itself as you, nor do you manifest yourself as depression. It's merely a state of mind as is euphoria and anger. If you can accept this then you are one step closer to dealing with depression and anxiety in a respectful manner.”
Now that we’ve taken a glimpse into what bad stress looks like, let’s see how good stress looks! As said by Very Well Mind, good stress occurs when we have feelings of excitement, causing our hormones and pulse to rise; it’s a feeling that creates eagerness and enthusiasm in our lives. Unlike chronic stress, there are no dangerous feelings of threat or nervousness associated with it.
Typical situations where we may experience stress are when we study for a new degree, go out on a date or prepare to ride a scary rollercoaster!
Ensuring that we have eustress in our lives is incredibly important as it can help keep us motivated, build our resilience and encourage growth, develop problem solving skills, and contribute to living an all around meaningful life.
In an article by Health, Dr. Richard Shelton, MD, vice chair for research in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alabama Birmingham, stated that having slight short term eustress can be beneficial to our lifestyle; take a student who needs to finish a project before the deadline. This deadline may motivate the student to increase their focus and organize their time more efficiently because they know their time is limited. This is a part of our body’s fight or flight response, it’s main responsibility being to protect us from any potential harm.
Every time we undergo stressful situations, we develop new strategies useful for future situations, which could make dealing with stress easier as life goes on.
As stated by Dr. Shelton, eustress gives our bodies the chance to not only physically control itself, but to also psychologically control itself. This way, when we face future stress, our bodies have a pre-established response mechanism.
Regardless of the type of stress we experience, one thing will always remain constant: find strategies to help you deal with it.
Every person will find comfort in different coping mechanisms, so don’t feel that you have to follow what others are doing. And remember that it’s okay to take a step back from stress and allow yourself the time to recuperate and reevaluate. Taking these breaks can be incredibly productive as they give you the opportunity to relax and spend time reflecting with yourself.
A personal experience I have had with eustress was when I was preparing to give a presentation for my entrepreneurship and marketing class. I had approached the project with such enthusiasm because I took heavy interest in entrepreneurship and was keen to extend my knowledge. After working on the presentation for two weeks, it was time to present it to the class. Despite being excited to have completed the project, public speaking had never been my strong suit. However, knowing this motivated me to improve. I constructed a plan for myself with all the necessary steps it’d take me to reach certain goals. Some of these steps included creating flashcards for myself and practicing the presentation in front of friends. On the date of the presentation, as I spoke, I felt a new found sense of confidence that I hadn’t ever before, and was able to achieve my goal of improving my public speaking. This wouldn’t have been possible without eustress; it gave me the push I needed to get out of my comfort zone and reach for my potential.
Experimenting with a variety of coping strategies can help you identify what works best for you.
One strategy that I find that works best for me is daily journaling. At the end of each day before bed, I spend time writing about my day, including memorable conversations or events that have taken place as well as feelings, thoughts and ideas I have. Journaling doesn’t only help me articulate my emotions in a healthy and personalized manner, but gives me the gift of memories, being that I can “go back in time” and read previous entries. This is simply one of many strategies you can implement into your lifestyle, with other popular ones including walking, baking or reading. What’s most important is that you find one that brings you a sense of peace, enjoyment and helps you establish a healthy relationship with stress.
SOURCES:
Source 1: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-kind-of-stress-is-good-for-you-3145055
Source 2: https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/everything-you-need-know-about-stress
Source 3:https://www.verywellmind.com/chronic-stress-3145104
Source 4: https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-symptoms-effects_of-stress-on-the-body
Source 5: http://health.nzdf.mil.nz/mind/our-stories/matts-story-stress-anxiety-and-depression/
Source 7: https://www.health.com/condition/stress/5-weird-ways-stress-can-actually-be-good-for-you
Source 8: https://blogs.svvsd.org/wellness/2019/10/14/types-of-stressors-eustress-vs-distress/