Stress

Have you ever felt stressed? Yea, that’s a rhetorical question. 😄 While the experience of stress isn’t isolated to just the human population (animals feel stress as well), there are two types of stress that are very much part of the human experience. There’s good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress). Kind of like cholesterol. 😉

• Eustress (the good kind): This is generally beneficial stress that motivates us and helps us grow. Things like getting a new job, travel that can be a bit challenging but is ultimately rewarding, or a tough workout that we were able to push through are examples of eustress.

• Distress (the bad kind): This is generally the type of stress that can create negative emotions and impact our well-being. Things like losing our job, dealing with money issues, or dealing with a controlling/manipulative person fall into the category of distress.

As we journey through life, we are going to encounter each of these types of stress in bundles. Knowing when to lean in and when to lean out can be essential to helping us maintain perspective when we’re going through tough times.

There are some specific signs to look for when dealing with stress. I borrowed the below table from the folks at Medical News Today (thank you!).

We’re always told to “not stress out.” However, as noted above, some stress is good for us. And embracing that stress can be incredibly empowering and help us overcome barriers and obstacles we thought were insurmountable.

For me, the idea of starting this newsletter brought with it no small amount of stress. But I realized it was eustress – because I was excited to do it; I felt invigorated by the idea of it; and it challenges me to keep things fresh and new (which forces me to constantly be learning and growing).

On the other hand, when I lost my job in 2023, that was distressful – not going to lie. But when I came to grips with the fact I was unemployed, I was able to flip much of my distress into eustress by imagining a whole world of possibilities. It was both scary and full of wonder at the same time.

Stress is a part of who we are as human beings. We can certainly let it consume us (I won’t pretend I haven’t had moments where distress seemed all-consuming) or we can saddle up and ride it like a bunking bronco. Ok, that’s a weird analogy – but I think it works.

Anyway…yea…stress. If we understand the signs and source of our stress, we can learn tips, tricks, and techniques to (mostly) control it — and actually flourish from it as well.

In closing, a thought from Albert Einstein: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Sounds kinda’ cliche and trite until we’re faced with distress and trying to navigate our way through it. On the other side of that trek can be something profound.

Until next week.

Cheers,

Andy

(All written content created the old-fashioned way.)