Stress is not just perceived, it is a felt response to the environment. Whether it is daily stress or bumps in the road, stress can be sneaky. Whether or not you know it, stress can impact your health and life. Learn more about how to combat it by focusing on eustress, a healthier alternative to negative stress.
What is Eustress
Positive stress may feel new to you but you are not alone in feeling this way. Most people quote stress with negativity. People rarely see stress as being positive. Eustress is positive in a way that builds a good response in the body and mind. It helps motivate, support goals, and keep people feeling good about life.
Good Stress
Working and living outside the comfort zone is a good thing. When people feel overwhelmed that stress can turn negative, that makes eustress important for overall health. Eustress produces positive feelings of excitement, meaning, and satisfaction. Eustress helps you feel confident, adequate, and stimulated by the challenges you experience from the stressors of life. This type of stress empowers you to grow in three areas:
- Physically: build up body
- Psychologically: helps build autonomy and resilience
- Emotionally: eustress can result in contentment, inspiration, and motivation
Eustress at Work
An example of eustress is taking on a new project that encourages you to leverage existing strengths and jones existing skills. Work-related projects will drive eustress if they’re challenging but realistic. You are more likely to experience distress and negative consequences when you are working in a toxic culture at work.
Personal Interests
Setting goals for yourself around personal interests or passions is an example of eustress. We have the ability to learn new things and expertise that grows in an area does not happen in a straight line.
Create Positive Stress
Nobody wants more stress in their life but there are ways to build positive stressors in your life that won’t do as much harm. When you are looking for ways to make eustress a part of your every day, it can help to:
- Exercise every day
- Learn how to set personal, realistic goals
- Track progress
- Learn something new everyday
- Push yourself outside your comfort zone and develop new skills
You have the power to choose some of the ways stress impacts your life. Look for eustress as a way to define your positive focus on stress rather than a negative interaction. Stress does not have to have the last word in your life or in your recovery.
The Palmetto Center is based on a Therapeutic Community model. We help people learn how to live free of addiction. Our community support provides structure while trained counselors offer life skills training and therapeutic techniques to help you move past addiction. Our program provides special focus for professionals including chiropractors, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and more who need help with addiction recovery. Call us to find out more: 866-848-3001.
