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Eustress : When stress becomes beneficial

Stressful situations are a common thing nowadays and that can be quite hard for some people to handle. However, stress can be positive and become a source of motivation that instead of putting you down challenges you to do better.

Beneficial stress a new way of overcoming problems./Ph. DR
Estimated read time: 2'

School, work and responsibilities can be so stressful these days. Living in a big city and having to deal with traffic, obligations piling up and the accumulated negative emotions can make you experience toxic stress constantly. However, it has been proven that stress can sometimes be beneficial and it’s called Eustress. The term was originally explored in a stress model by Richard Lazarus, an American psychologist, who referred to the positive response that one can have when faced with problems.

Good or healthy stress is linked most of the time to the way people react to difficult situations, how they manage them and overcome the urge of solving problems. It is the habit of making of stress a motive instead of an obstacle. Driss Lmoussaoui, a medical doctor and a psychiatrist, told Yabiladi that life without stress can be really boring and handling the stress is what most people should do instead of avoiding it. «If you have absolutely no pressure you won’t put efforts to improve your life», Dr. Lmoussaoui argued.

The challenge positive stress adds to your daily life is what makes it a good option for all those who panic because they couldn’t meet a goal. «Stress is important in life and I am talking about positive stress that helps people find solutions when they are faced with problems», Dr. Lmoussaoui explained. It is a way of bringing improvement to life, it galvanizes people to make a move and change what appeared to be originally negative and impossible to overcome.

Handling a stressful situation needs a smart and positive decision

Linking stressful situations to hope, vigor and active engagement is the healthy option that people faced with distress should opt for. «Better have a little bit of stress in order to boost your performance in life than have chronic stress that is bad for your physical and mental health», Dr. Lmoussaoui indicates. 

What characterizes Eustress is the fact that it has a positive impact on people. Stagnating and failing to overcome a certain situation is toxic and exhausting. «Chronic stress leads to health issues like high blood pressure diabetes and cardio problems, it results in all kind of bad consequences», Dr. Lmoussaoui claimed. Facing constant stress without having a positive response can cause insomnia which resultedly becomes an endless vicious circle.

«My advice to people is to practice sports to avoid stressful situations, if you cannot do it in a week or ten days then you should see a doctor because in that case it becomes toxic for the body and the immune system and can lead to depression», Dr. Driss Lmoussaoui concluded.  

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