Eustress and Distress

Eustress and Distress

Not all stress is detrimental. Indeed, a certain amount of stress in life is desirable. It
relieves monotony, spurs people toward worthwhile goals, and is an integral part of
many pleasurable activities: the joy experienced with successful accomplishments,
for example. Selye coined the word “eustress” (good stress) to refer to stress of this
kind, and to distinguish it from distress, which is prejudicial to health and well-being.

Eustress or positive stress occurs when the level of stress is high enough to motivate
a person to move into action to get things accomplished.

Eustress provides a sense of urgency and alertness needed for survival when confronting threatening situations.

Distress or negative stress occurs when the level of stress is either too high or too low
and the body and/or mind begin to respond negatively to the stressors. It is a
contributory factor to ill-health, such as headaches, digestive problems, skin complaints,
insomnia and ulcers. Excessive, prolonged and unrelieved stress can have a harmful
effect on mental, physical and spiritual health.