Trying to navigate life without stress is just not possible. Like a sailboat with a bit of wind, a healthy amount of stress can help inspire motivation, intention, and direction.
That being said, being mindful of the distinctions between healthy and unhealthy stress can help us navigate life more effectively.
While healthy stress can motivate us to achieve our goals and adapt to challenges, unhealthy stress can lead to negative consequences such as burnout, anxiety, and physical health issues.
How do we know the difference?
Discover the ins and outs of stress, how it affects us, and practical coping methods to increase our tolerance to it.
Good stress, also known as eustress, refers to a beneficial type of stress characterized by feelings of excitement and motivation rather than stress or overwhelm.
Examples of healthy stressors include starting a new job, moving to a new city, planning a wedding, starting school, or training for a competition.
Benefits of healthy stress include:
The problem with good stress is that our body struggles to differentiate it from bad stress.
For example, when preparing to write an exam, we might experience a racing heart, clammy palms, and heightened alertness. The physical reactions are all meant to help our bodies prepare for action, whether it’s to face a threat or rise to the challenge.
In our brain, this might signal “I am in danger” when in reality, it is helping sharpen our focus and enhance our performance. Recognizing the difference is essential to start using the good stress to our advantage.
Unhealthy stress is often what we think of when we consider what stress is. Unlike eustress, unhealthy stress can have lasting mental, emotional, and physical consequences on our health.
The challenge with unhealthy stress is when it transforms from acute to chronic. While the occasional burst of stress can be invigorating, like the rush we get leading up to work presentation, chronic stress is more pervasive.
Common signs and symptoms of unhealthy or chronic stress include:
Chronic stress is shown to linger for longer than regular stress, draining our energy, depleting our resilience, and chipping away at our well-being.
When the body experiences stress, whether from a real threat like a fire alarm or a perceived one like social anxiety at a party, it triggers an immediate physiological response.
As seen in the graphic above, when a stressful trigger or threat occurs, it sets off a cascade of events involving the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as the "fight or flight" response. This response helps prepare the body to confront the stressor head-on or flee from the threat. This sets off the physiological reactions to help get the body moving.
Cortisol is a well-known stress hormone that responds to this activated state by mobilizing our energy stores, boosting metabolism, and changing our immune processes.
When the body can't turn off the stress response, chronic stress sets in, disrupting the body’s functioning. This can cause various health issues, including anxiety, depression, digestive problems, weight gain, and more.
The relationship between the mind and body is deeply intertwined. As a result, chronic stress can act as a significant catalyst for triggering a cascade of mental and physical health consequences.
Our levels of stress can significantly impact how we feel mentally.
Oftentimes, stress is misunderstood as anxiety. A 2019 study describes anxiety as the anticipation of a future threat. When stress becomes chronic or overwhelming, it can lead to heightened levels of anxiety, characterized by constant worry, nervousness, and a sense of impending danger.
Another 2022 study found a link between stress symptoms, depression, and self-critical perfectionism. In this case, stress is involved by creating psychological and physiological changes in the hormonal and nervous systems, disrupting mood and leading to feelings of sadness, fatigue, and hopelessness.
Not only does stress influence our minds, but it also takes a toll on our physical health.
As mentioned earlier, when our stress response is activated, our bodies respond by releasing cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones, if consistently present in our bloodstream, can put significant pressure on our heart and blood vessels.
Over time, this can contribute to the development of several cardiovascular issues such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.
Other common physical health issues related to stress include:
Without effective stress management, stress can gradually deteriorate our mental, physical and emotional well-being, as well as strain our relationships. Having an abundance of coping strategies readily available can be a helpful way to deal with stress and combat the negative impacts on our well-being.
Here are seven helpful ways to build resilience against stress.
From the moment we wake up, our daily habits can make or break the amount of stress we experience.
Here are some helpful ways to get your day started, work through a stressful mindset, or relieve physical tension:
Boundaries serve as a protective barrier that shields our emotional and mental space, allowing us to flourish in life. They define the limits of what is acceptable and comfortable for us in various contexts of our lives, including relationships, work, and personal space.
A healthy boundary may range from requesting space of alone time from our partner to simply saying no when a friend asks for a favour we know we can not fulfill.
A strong network of friends and family can offer invaluable support during challenging times. Whether it’s sharing a laugh, celebrating successes, or having a shoulder to lean on, these social connections can lift our spirits and help alleviate our stress.
Self-care is among the most valuable tools we have at our disposal to combat stress. Without taking time to invest in ourselves, we are incapable of functioning at our best and meeting the demands of our daily lives with resilience.
For this to happen, self-care requires us to commit to intentional actions that prioritize our well-being, recharge our batteries, and restore a sense of balance in our lives.
Counselling support is a tremendous avenue for helping individuals, couples, and families improve their mental well-being and build resilience against stress. Using personalized interventions, therapy helps individuals gain tools to cope with their stress, manage difficult emotions, and enhance their quality of life.
Whether you’re experiencing relationship issues, financial stress, parental challenges, or career concerns, therapy offers a supportive space to explore and address these challenges with more confidence and clarity.
Starting therapy can be the most challenging step. For this reason, we offer a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your concerns, goals, and how therapy can support you on your journey.
Stress will come and go; however, how we respond to it can make all the difference. While healthy stress can motivate us and enhance our performance in the short term, unhealthy stress can lead to negative consequences for our health.
By learning about stress, recognizing its effects on our well-being, and using helpful coping methods, we can control stress and empower ourselves to face life's difficulties with more resilience.
Written by Sarah Murugathasan BA, MSW, RSW
