Embrace Stress & Avoid Distress

We tend to think of stress as something to avoid or something we want to remove from our lives. The reality is that a certain amount of stress may add a little excitement and challenge to our lives. If we had zero stress our lives could become ho-hum and boring. In general, our performance improves as stress increases up to a point. We rise to meet the challenge. Once we move past stress into distress, our performance rapidly declines. Adopting a 'stress is good' mindset may help protect us from experiencing distress. 

Basically, stress is our body's reaction to a challenge or change. And we have some control over whether we experience stress as helpful or harmful. When we judge stress as bad and something to be avoided, we experience stress as dangerous. Alternately, when we see stress as something that helps move and motivate us, we experience stress as helpful. You may know people who seem to embrace stress and thrive in challenging situations. 

Changing how we perceive stress can help us transform the effects we experience. Seeing stress in a positive light can help improve our well-being, mental health and contribute to our success. We can rise to the occasion when we frame stress as a helpful indicator of the need to prepare and a motivator to take action. Reframing stress as excitement can help us see the benefits that it brings. We no longer need to avoid or be incapacitated by stress. 

Reframing stress as excitement may mean that we perform better under pressure. When we tell ourselves that we are excited rather than stressed, we tend to feel more competent and confident as we approach the situation. 

Severe or prolonged stress can lead to distress. Distress occurs when we have been stuck in the stress response for an extended period of time. Being under stress for too long can lead to frayed nerves and a feeling of being on edge all the time.

We can help protect our mental health by reducing unnecessary stress and reframing necessary stress. Ask yourself if you might be adding pointless pressure by taking on too much or being unwilling to say no? Take steps to allow yourself some downtime and climb off the stress hamster wheel. 

For the unavoidable stress in life, practice the habit of thinking about stress as excitement, motivating rather than debilitating. These practices of reducing unnecessary stress and reframing necessary stress can decrease the negative impact of distress on our emotional and physical health. 

Approaching stress with optimism helps us keep our stress level in the positive stress zone and protect us from reaching the level of distress. Thus, how we frame stress—as good or bad—can have a powerful impact on our lives.