Wellness Tip #3: Two Types of Stress! One Good and One Bad…

There are two types of Stress.  One you need more of and one you need less of.   These two types of Stress are called, Distress and Eustress.

 

 

 

Distress is damaging, pathogenic stress (the capacity to foster disease), or its wear and tear on the body.  Distress breaks down bodily systems and promotes disease like heart disease, high blood pressure and many other things; all worth avoiding!

 

But, people can also experience Eustress!

Eustress is growth-promoting stress!  It represents a challenge & is a stimulus for growth & positive development.  It is motivating and exciting.  Something you find “fun” is probably Eustress.  Eustress is the spice of life.

So, learning to recognize things that are Distress and learning to limit or remove them, (along with letting some stressful things go and not bring them home with you) is a really healthy thing to do that reduces your Distress!   That combined with with adding more Eustress things in your life, (like go for a walk or do an activity you love) promotes health and wellness as well as lowering your risk of heart attack and stroke.  So go find some Eustress and add it to your life today!