Health & Wellness

Eustress #1: Piece #8

If you believe in yourself everyday, then you will surely come to realize your true potential – there’s so much that we’re capable of that we’re not even aware of yet. We all simply have to make a conscious choice of growing as people, so that we can continue to better other people’s lives. By doing this, we actually come to eliminate the need for a New Year’s resolution, because we’ll be resolving everyday on how to become all that we are truly meant to be, empowering our human potential. So the next time you feel distressed about a situation, take a deep breath and simply remind yourself that you are amazing, and that within your capabilities, you hold the solution.

Eustress #1: Piece #7

You should keep that mentality ready for when you decide to tackle the pressure of holding to your New Year’s resolutions. Have you ever noticed that you hear all about resolutions when they’re first made, but then you almost never hear about a complete follow through on these resolutions? Most often, it’s easier on our conscious when we completely abandon these resolutions instead of contending with the stress of holding to these commitments. 

The best way to arm yourself for staying committal is by cultivating positive health, growth and wellbeing. High-quality health involves more than just eating super foods, it also involves achieving positive wellness: “emotional, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, social and physical” (Nelson & Simmons, 2003). An ideal place to start with eliminating stress in your life and maintaining eustress as an ally is with fundamentals such as eating healthy foods, exercising and getting enough sleep. Two other methods you should practice daily, which only take a minute and are absolutely free, are laughing and physical touch, such as a hearty hug or holding a loved one’s hand. And perhaps strongest of all of these elements is self belief.

Eustress #1: Piece #5

Exposure to stress that must be endured passively – watching violence on television or sitting in traffic – may weaken our immune system. It would serve you well to keep this in mind next time you’re stuck in traffic. Think of it this way, you can do two things about traffic, you can get hot and bothered and beat on your horn like a kid with a new toy, or you can put on your favorite song, relax and simply except that you’re going to be late. And of course, there’s the famous third option for those of you with Hummers, make your own route.

Eustress #1: Piece #4

A study that further supports this was conducted by Jos A. Bosch, a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University. Through his research, Bosch found that stressful tasks like trying to meet deadlines may actually fortify the immune system! But there’s a tenuous balance here, and we can apply the “too-much-of-a-good-thing” warning. For example, several project deadlines that you were given well in advance may support eustress, while having nine projects with immediate deadlines dropped on you will most likely cause distress. Take exercise as another example. Most often, it’s a good stressor. But too much exercise can run you ragged and lead to injury and illness. If you maintain a proper balance of eustress and distress, then you can take solace in what Bosch says, “Our findings lend scientific truth to the idea that a hassle a day keeps the doctor away.”

Eustress #1: Piece #3

In Full Catastrophe Living, J. Kabat-Zinn reports that both distress and eustress can create harmful effects on the body, depending on how people adapt to the catalyst that has caused the stress. Stress is more frequently affected by how a person views their own abilities or resources, not necessarily the actual situation. In certain situations, stress is actually what we make of it, and we may actually be creating undue stress. Obviously, we can’t always avoid stress, and sometimes that stress, eustress, can act as our ally. So, if we harness our stress, then we can actually garner a competitive edge in performance-related activities like sports, public speaking, or making money. What does this mean for those of you nervous and stressing about supporting a new downline or following through on a new sales technique from your upline? It means that you should simply be more confident in your ability to deliver stellar results, and take comfort in knowing that eustress is working with you to produce cunning mental clarity.

Eustress #1: Piece #2

On the one end of the stress spectrum then, we have distress, the most commonly acknowledged type of stress. Whether it’s always having too much month left after the money is gone to developing a consistent stream of customers, it’s safe to assume we can all quickly think of at least 10 things that stress us out. As we all know, this type of stress most definitely has negative health implications.

On the opposite end of the stress spectrum is eustress, derived from the Greek prefix “eu,” which means either “well” or “good,” combining with stress to form “good stress.” Selye first coined the term eustress, and since then Dr. Richard Lazarus has helped bring this area of study into better light. During his time as a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Lazarus defined eustress as stress that is healthy or provides a sense of achievement or satisfaction; therapeutic.

Under the promise of delivering health and wellness content that spans everything under the sun, here’s the first post for a series that delves into eustress. Everyone’s always talking about how to alleviate stress, but it seems no one ever discusses leveraging its cousin, eustress. Enjoy!

Eustress #1: Piece #1

If you’ve ever felt a positive energy before a sports competition or a certain edgy clarity before a test or interview, then chances are you’ve experienced eustress. Don’t worry, this isn’t another type of stress to worry about – this one is actually good for you!

To make sure we’re all on the same page, here’s how stress is defined by endocrinologist Hans Selye, previous professor and director of the Institute of Experimental Medicine and Surgery at the Université de Montréal: the condition that is created when an individual perceives a discrepancy between the required action of a situation and their actual abilities; biological, psychological or social.