Stressed out? Then reach for the sky

Under pressure? It could be good for you. Surprising research has found that certain types of stress can actually be beneficial for your health, happiness and wellbeing. Ruby Deevoy reports

FEELING stressed is one of the most common complaints when it comes to modern living.

But it could have an unexpected upside. An increasing amount of research has revealed that some types of stress do us good.

Experts believe there are two types of stress.

There is “distress”, the damaging form that comes from negative stimuli and is undoubtedly very bad for health. Then there is “eustress” – a beneficial stress which can be triggered by positive stimulation such as competitive sport, sex or adventure activities, like skydiving.

Eustress has the potential to impart a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits.

It can even help you make bold choices, increase focus, build resilience and leave you feeling a more confident, happy person all round.

Dee Johnson, therapist at Priory Hospital, in Chelmsford, Essex, explains: “Positive stress, or eustress, is an important driver in day-to-day life. It helps encourage the desire to be ambitious, try new things and expand our faith in ourselves to learn more and grow.”

So, how do you tap into eustress and move away from distress? Fascinatingly, the result of these different types of stress appears to be less about what’s actually happening and more about your perception of it. During both eustress and distress, your body has the same physiological response – this is neither good nor bad, it’s simply our natural survival instinct.

The difference comes from how you train yourself to manage and perceive a stressful situation, no matter how life-threatening or totally benign it may be in reality. Eustress can absolutely be used as a positive force to build a more resilient and motivated mindset, says Dee.

One study, in which nearly 30,000 interviews were conducted over five years, found participants who answered yes to the question “do you believe that stress is harmful to your health?” had worse physical and mental health than those who answered no.

In other words, it’s possible to train your body and mind to respond to stress of any sort in a different way – one that optimises performance and inspires you to act, rather than leaving you feeling frightened and helpless.

By exposing yourself to controlled stressful situations, and seeing the good in the experience, you can build resilience and implement a new mindset, to shield you from stressinduced harm.

All stress can lead to the “fight or flight” response – a process that developed originally to protect us from predators – by giving us strength to keep going through challenging times.

But today we’re far less likely to encounter a need for this. When there’s no suitable outlet or anything to fight or run from, it’s possible for that stress to be misplaced, spilling out when the phone rings or when you’re faced with a tight work deadline.

Your body’s reaction to this sort of minor stress can actually end up being as strong as if you were in real danger. And when there’s no conclusion to this supposed threat, the body’s stress response just keeps going, eventually damaging your health.

Fortunately, research suggests it’s possible to adapt to scenarios that ordinarily might leave you feeling distressed, and tap into the benefits rather than the harm. This way we can take the best aspects of stress – such as focused attention, a competitive spirit and determination – and not fall victim to burn-out, irrational thinking and illness. Practice makes perfect when it comes to eustress, said Dee. “Think about what you thought and felt when a seemingly stressful situation arose, then work through what happened during the experience. “Once the stressful moment has passed, think about how you are feeling now. What have you just learned? In the end, it might just be that you’ve had the success of discovering how not to do something. But with a positive mindset you can turn these apparently stressful scenarios into a deeper sense of satisfaction, meaning and joy.”

It helps encourage the desire to be ambitious and try new things