Stress, the good the bad the ugly and how to best manage it
- Danny George
- Jan 8, 2023
- 4 min read
Stress, everyone knows what it is because everyone experiences it. However, we experience it in different ways and to different degrees based on physiology and mental health. Today I want to take you on a deep dive into why stress can be both good and bad. I’ll also discuss how to best manage bad stress, in my opinion.
There are two main forms of stress, first is distress or bad stress. This is what 99% of people think of when they hear “I’m stressed”. Negative stress–or distress–happens when you’re overwhelmed because you don’t have enough physical, mental, or emotional energy or resources to handle the adversity you’re facing (1) . There are a wide range of things that cause distress, I’m sure you could name several right now! Kids, debt, finances, marriage, work, chores, etc. Let’s take a brief look at positive stress for a second.
Positive stress is called eustress. Now, you might be thinking how can stress be positive, or good? Eustress is a good thing because it helps us learn and grow. Eustress comes from things like studying for a test or working out or starting a new job. Eustress is developed through getting outside of your comfort zone yet still feel motivated to conquer a new task.
Are you starting to notice the main difference? Distress is a result of not having enough energy for the tasks or adversities that you face. Eustress is approaching tasks or adversities with confidence and willingness to conquer a new or repeated task. Scientists also know that experiencing manageable levels of stress throughout life, or eustress can enhance one’s resilience to the chronic damage of distress such as oxidative damage (2)
The million dollar question here is, how do you develop manageable levels eustress and effectively manage chronic distress?
Here’s what I recommend; start with identifying areas of distress. Create a list right now. Like seriously, stop reading and create your list.
Here’s my list:
Running my own company
Worrying about losing clients
Having a full-time job
Saving for a house
Talking about finances with my family
Being graded on the quality of my phone calls at work
Etc.
Now that you have your list I want you to think of why these things are important to you and why you haven’t given up on them yet.
Running my own company: I started this to help as many people as I can improve their quality of life through individualized nutrition and exercise coaching. I also started this company as an opportunity to help provide for my family.
Worrying about losing clients: I started to get clients because I believe I have a high level of knowledge in areas of nutrition, fitness and health. I have helped dozens of individuals improve their lives with my coaching!
Having a full-time job: I took this job to provide for my family and have full-time benefits in case we experienced any emergencies. I’m also blessed to coach people full-time which is part of my life’s mission!
Saving for a house: I started doing this with my wife because we want to have a comfortable home to raise our family and a place to call “our own”.
Talking about finances: I wanted to do this to make sure my family is on the same page with our money and to help avoid unnecessary fights or arguments.
You’re starting to get the point, I think :)
Simply thinking about why you’ve started something can transform the way you think about it and move it from being in the category of distress to eustress. Now that you remember why you started, you can approach it more confidently! On a personal note there are some things that require more reminding than others. For example, I have to tell myself daily that the sacrifice of saving money is going to be worth it in the end.
If you went through your list of distresses and found that you couldn’t come up with a reason as to why you started it, then perhaps you shouldn’t have started it at all. If you don’t know why you’re doing something, is there any reason to do it at all?
This moves us into my final point. If there are things you can’t identify a reason as to why you started them, then ditch them. This is the best way to effectively manage distress.
Remember why you started X activity and use that why to bring a renewed energy to it. If you can’t identify why you started it then ditch it.
I hope this helps you better manage your distress!
If you have any questions or comments or simply want to say hi and introduce yourself, feel free to hit that reply button below. I’d love to hear from you :)
P.S. If you are feeling overwhelmed with stress and can't seem to get a grip on life feel free to setup a call with me. I'm not a counselor but I am a certified health and well-being coach. I'd love to help in whatever way I can! Click the button below to checkout my health coaching service!
Comments