Positive Stress: Ready, Set & Go!

Positive stress, also known as 'eustress', occurs when you perceive a stressful situation as an opportunity that will result in a positive conclusion. This optimistic expectation, often known as "good stress," contrasts with negative stress or anguish, which happens when you see a stressor as a threat with a negative outcome. The terms eustress and distress have long been used to distinguish between a positive and negative response to stress. A person's reaction to a stressful event influences whether they will feel eustress or distress. We've all heard that stress is bad for us and that we should strive to avoid it as much as possible.  But, according to Richard Shelton, MD, vice chair for research in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alabama Birmingham, getting heated up isn't always a negative thing.  The following are a few instances of things or situations that could induce healthy stress: entering retirement having new relationships  Getting ready for a new employment opportunity participating in an athletic or artistic activity Working toward challenging goals in life Important Merits of Good Stress: Eustress and discomfort may both happen at once when you first encounter a stressor. Stress is more likely to be perceived as a positive element than a negative one if one believes that a stressor will most likely result in a positive outcome. Other elements that raise the likelihood that someone may react well to a trying circumstance include: an adaptable mentality belief in one's own capacity for success (self-efficacy) optimism regarding the outcome feeling in charge of the circumstance Possibility of obtaining a desired reward positive outlook I definitely came across a beautiful quotation "Sometimes a setback is required for a massive comeback in life"- I felt it and want to conclude my remarks on positive stress by stating that if you are stressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and you have the power to revoke at any moment!