Boost success with good stress

Experts share simple ways to convert everyday aargh into motivation, passion and joy!

From anxiety-provoking deadlines to nonstop multitasking, we’re all too familiar with feeling stressed. But you may be surprised to learn that distress (the chronic, harmful form of stress) has a “good twin” called eustress. This short-term, positive stress excites and motivates us, sharpening our focus and helping us achieve our goals. The best part: We have the power to choose which of these two paths we travel.

“New science reveals that simply changing how we think can alter our physical and psychological responses to moments of stress,” says Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., author of The Upside of Stress. A recent study at the University of Freiberg in Germany found that participants who were coached to view public speaking through the lens of good stress displayed significantly higher levels of positive social behavior, such as trust and openness, than their negative-thinking counterparts. “Cardiovascularly speaking, stress produces the same physical reaction as moments of joy and courage,” McGonigal adds. “So by reframing our outlook, we can teach our brain to expect a good feeling instead of a bad feeling when we experience stress.”

In fact, more and more, women are leveraging good stress to their benefit: Just look at health trends like intermittent fasting or interval training, which both stress the body in short, powerful ways. “A little good stress can boost our brainpower and our activation of autophagy—our body’s own cellular cleanup and rejuvenation,” says Naomi Whittel, author of Glow15. The physical and emotional benefits, she says, include improving sleep, reducing pain and boosting immunity, as well as helping us meet challenges, increasing joy and even extending life expectancy. Here, experts reveal the mental tricks and tips that transform stress into a feel-good superpower!