What the heck is eustress?

Hans Selye, known as the “Father of Stress,” coined the term “eustress” in 1926. It means, literally, “good stress.” Is there such a thing? You bet there is.

When we’re underwhelmed by life, we seek excitement in anything from scary movies to amusement park rides; we crave new ventures and exhilarating relationships. A totally stress-free life would be not only boring, but also unhealthy, and we now have scientific proof.

Distress, the bad stuff, where we feel overwhelmed, anxious, and/or distressed, is not only emotionally painful but also results in damage to everything from constricted arteries and accelerating coronary artery disease, to the diminished functioning of the immune system.

Eustress occurs when, instead of feeling overwhelmed and out of control, we feel challenged, in control and committed to the outcome. Kobasa and Maddi described this combination in 1979 when they studied what they called the “Hardiness Factor,” a state of resilience based on the 3 C’s: Challenge, Commitment, and Control.

Performers and athletes, for example, study and practice their skills over and over. Even though panic may overwhelm them just before they strut their stuff, the well-practiced behaviors take over. External circumstances may be out of control – scenery does fall down during performances, sound systems malfunction, ice is choppy from a previous performer’s ice skates – but the internal control the performer, in any area of life, has developed can be relied on.

You don’t reach this peak of dedication without a deep sense of purpose to which you are committed.

And a threat becomes a challenge when you know you have tremendous skill and decide to dream a little bigger and try a little more to show what you can really do.

We are challenged when we reach for a goal that is a stretch for us, but not impossible. We have achieved some control when we have studied and practiced the steps necessary to reach that goal, and we are committed when it is a goal that is in alignment with our deepest purpose. The stress becomes an energizer of performance, giving it both increased physical power and enhanced emotional impact.

The result is not only one of personal growth, the pride in accomplishment; we also now know that, instead of constricting arteries and shutting down the immune system, eustress dilates the arteries, through which blood flows freely. Levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good kind of cholesterol, actually rise under eustress.

You may experience eustress when you prepare for, and complete, a networking experience, a public speaking opportunity, a promotion, a new business . . . the opportunities are endless.

So, to make the shift from distress to eustress, think, plan, practice, and enjoy. Reach for the skies, knowing it can only be good for you.