How to Harness the Power of Stress

By Nikki Williams−

We’re told that stress is the root of many diseases—that we should avoid it at all costs and seek to minimize it when we do encounter it. But believe it or not, there’s a type of stress that does wonders for you—refining your focus, drive, and intensity until you shine!

This is known as “eustress” and it is derived from the Greek “eu” meaning “well” or “good”; so eu + stress = “good stress”.

eu + stress = “good stress”

Eustress is what happens when we feel really excited about riding that scary rollercoaster; exhilarated by doing something a little out of our comfort zone; or wild-eyed after accomplishing what we thought could not be done. A college professor once told me and my entire class full of quaking-in-our-shoes speech communications students that feelings of fear and excitement were actually the exact same feeling. It’s the label you place on it that determines whether you’ll feel good or depleted by the experience.

Recent studies bear this out: your belief in how stress is affecting you (excitement vs. anxiety) is part of what determines whether stress will ultimately help or hurt you. In fact, in a study published in 2011, researchers determined that stress was only associated with increased mortality rates when participants had a belief that stress was harmful to them.

To change your beliefs about stress, practice noticing the feeling of excitement you get when you’re doing something fun, but exhilarating—riding a rollercoaster, going down a slide in a waterpark, zip-lining or whatever makes your pulse race while you still have a smile on your face. Once you’ve memorized how that feels, start comparing it to the feeling you get when you are anxious or stressed and start noticing the similarities between the two. You’ll soon find that the feeling of excitement is quite similar to feelings of nervousness or anxiety—and this is the first step in making stress work for you rather than against you.

In fact, eustress is closely correlated with a positive outlook and life satisfaction. Having a positive outlook on stress can minimize anxiety in two ways. First, developing a belief that stress is not your enemy will keep you healthier and more resilient through periods of hardship. Then, framing stress alongside a more affirmative experience can actually take the edge off anxiety by teaching you how to focus on the positive when a stress-producing experience hits.

The next time you make it through a stressful patch, focus on cultivating a feeling of accomplishment—just like the combined relief and amazement that hits you after your first public speaking gig, your first half-marathon, or your first job interview. Consider how awesome you are to have made it through your situation — you’re still standing, you’re still breathing, you faced something scary and you’ve overcome! Go you!

references: study | correlated