Turns Out Some Stress is Actually Good For Us: The Difference Between Good Stress and Bad Stress
“I wish I had more stress in my life”, said no one ever. But did you know some stress is actually good for you? Wait...what? It sounds counterintuitive I know, but sometimes we need to flip stress on it’s head to get a different perspective.
Hopefully at some point in our lives we have all been able to take time away from our daily responsibilities long enough to feel completely refreshed and de-stressed...if you have no memory of when that was, see my last blog post about the importance of self-care ;). Now if we flip this scenario on it’s head, have you ever had a period of time with less responsibilities than usual (think life transitions, like in-between jobs, quarantine during COVID, kids getting older and not needing as much assistance, retirement)? It feels amazing at first, like a snow-day when we were kids (if you live in a snowy region). We have time to go outside and play, time to watch shows on Netflix, time to do a little baking, maybe even time to clean that closet! Aaaah yes! This can feel magical for days, weeks, or even months. At some point, however, we may begin to get restless…the closets are cleaned, watching Netflix is less enticing, and baking has lost its appeal. This becomes an instance where “good stress” can actually be beneficial to us. Keep reading, you’ll see what I mean…
Stress is defined as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances” (dictionary.com). Too much stress undeniably has negative effects on our physical and mental wellbeing. Symptoms of stress can include sleep issues, digestive issues, muscle tension, headaches, trouble concentrating, feeling overwhelmed, and more. Prolonged stress can lead to chronic health conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure) or other cardiac disease, heartburn, gastrointestinal distress, depression, and overall general malaise. When we are experiencing an extreme level of “bad” stress we are in distress (unhappiness or pain : suffering that affects the mind or body–Merriam Webster).
At the other end of the stress continuum is “eustress”, which is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being”. We all benefit from a healthy level of “stress” to keep us driven, stimulated, and engaged. To think that a completely stress-free life is not the nirvana we assume it will be may be somewhat surprising. The question that crops up now is, “how much stress do I need in my life to keep me motivated and optimize my wellbeing?”
The Yerkes-Dodson Law is a psychological concept that depicts the relationship between arousal levels (stress levels) and performance. The Yerkes-Dodson Model shows that we reach our peak levels of performance when we are experiencing intermediate levels of stress/arousal. When we experience too much or too little stress our performance level diminishes. If we perform the same tasks all day, every day, it will eventually become routine and boring. The stress level goes down, but so does the level of motivation. Alternatively, if we are placed in a high-stress (distress) situation, the fight-or-flight mode gets triggered and our arousal goes into overdrive, which can lessen our performance. Looking at our continuum of stress (distress to eustress), we can begin to hone in on our optimal stress level to optimize our performance.
Ok cool, we don’t have to completely eradicate stress from our daily lives (phew, because that’s hard to do!). So what’s the optimal level of eustress that’s considered beneficial to us? The answer depends on the activity or the task that is being done. Ideally we want the task to be “manageable, motivational, and performance enhancing.” We want the task to light a spark inside of us, such that “Your heart beats a bit faster. You feel a sense of clarity and alertness. Your brain and body are all fired up.” (Healthline.com). When we are in eustress we feel more energized, focused, attentive, and interested in what we are doing. This is the level we want to strive for when possible.
The “just-right” level of eustress is different for everyone based upon our unique personalities and individual life experiences. Finding our “sweet spot” for good stress requires self-awareness, time, experience, and a bit of trial-and-error. Like most things in life, it’s all about balance. It will be difficult to land on the best level every day, but if we become aware of our individual needs, hopefully we can hit it more days than not.
How do you know when your level of stress is too high, too low, or just right? What are the signals your body and brain send to alert you? What do you do to moderate your stress level so it is “just-right”?
