Did you know that there is such a thing as good stress? Eustress (pronounced You-Stress) is a term coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye.

The word eustress comprises of two parts. The prefix eu- is derived from the Greek word meaning either “well” or “good.” When used with the word stress, it literally means “good stress”.

It is important to have Eustress in your life. Without it, you would become depressed and most likely feel a lack of meaning in life. Eustress motivates and energizes you to work on a task that may require some effort and even prove challenging but results in huge satisfaction.

Usually when people talk about stress they refer to negative stress, which is called distress. However my belief is that how you perceive a situation will determine the type of stress you feel.

For example some people get a thrill from skydiving and would experience eustress as a result, while on the other hand those who are scared of heights like myself will find skydiving very distressful.

At work and at home some level of eustress is required to achieve success.

Some Life Examples of Eustress

1. Developing new skills especially where you have to practice to improve that skill and scale through the learning curve stage e.g learning how to drive or learning to use a new tool
2. Networking and meeting new people to grow your business or client base
3. Performing in a competition
4. Preparing for big life events such as marriage, the birth of a new baby or buying a house
5. Studying for an intensive exam over a period of time
6. Getting to know someone romantically

It is also possible to feel distressed about any of the examples listed above.  Our reaction to stimulus, our attitude and how in control we feel about a situation determines whether we will feel eustress or distress.

How to Switch from DIstress to EUstress

1) Change your attitude– from today begin to view the stress triggers in your live as ‘challenges’ rather than ‘threats’. When you adapt this mentality it would be easier to think more positively about an issue and how to tackle it.

When you view a situation as a threat you can feel distressed about this which can shut down your mind and even affect your health. However if you view the situation as a challenge you feel excited which gets you looking for solutions, rather than getting buried in feelings of bad stress.

2) Engage in Positive Thinking – When negative thoughts crosses your mind, make it a conscious effort to stop, breathe and then replace that thought with a positive one. Always look for the positive in any situation you find yourself in. By simply having a positive perspective on a situation you can move from distress to eustress.

3) Change self-limiting statements to questions– Statements like “this is impossible” or “I can’t do it” should no longer be part of your vocabulary. If you find yourself making such statements, ask yourself- “how can I handle this?” or “how can I make this a possible?” You will begin to find that creative solutions will come to you.

4) Maintain a sense of humor– Many of us take life too seriously which results in distress. Smiling and laughing are powerful attitudes we all need to succeed in life. Studies show that having a smile on your face can release endorphins, which make you feel better, and can lead you to actually feeling more happy.

Ask yourself in 1 to 2 years will this even matter? That just shows you how stressful situations will always pass and how funny it will all be in the end.

In the short-term, eustress provides motivation to keep moving forward with an activity or project, even though you find it demanding and challenging. While in the long-term, good stress helps to promote emotional balance and confidence.

Remember stress is not always bad. Stress is simply the body’s response to changes that create challenging demands. It is how you perceive the situation that matters.  So whatever situation you find yourself- at home, at work or in business, apply the tips above to help you experience more eustress in your life.

Please share your tips on experiencing more good stress in life. Thanks!

More reading- Dealing with WorkPlace Stress