Stress is defined as a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life (ie. work, relationships, money),these problems can cause intense feelings and anxiety. There are four major types of stress are classified as : Eustress, Distress, Hypostress and Hypostress. Stress is commonly associated with negativity, but it is not always a bad thing. In essence stress is the body’s response to any changes that require taxing demands. The difference between eustress and distress is the results and nature of cause.
Eustress (or positive stress) has produces motivation and focused energy that feels exciting yet is short term. Eustress can also be thought of as a coping ability, as it helps to accelerate challenging times while improving performance. Imagine being inside the Golden State Warriors’ locker room right before the championship game. The buzz is in the air and everyone is on edge, waiting to erupt into the stadium. This is an example of Eustress. Although we can’t get inside the mind of Stephen Curry, it is probably that his success is due to stress to some degree.
Between the the electricity in the crowd and the impending competition ahead, the Stress in athletes surges. Similar to a “fight or flight response” athletes holster their eustress as a catalyst to perform at a heightened level. Contrary to eustress is distress, the negative form of stress. This type of stress commonly produces concern or high anxiety, but can either be long (chronic) or short-term. Opposed to eustress, distress feels unpleasant and can lead to a decrease in performance as well as mental and physical health problems.
All of these forms of stress can have a sliding scale of severity, but distress when left untreated can be toxic to one’s life. Causes of psychological distress vary but traumatic experiences are often the culprit. Tragedies such as deaths, violence, sexual assault can all produce an intense feeling of distress. While eustress is a helpful tool of evolution, distress is thought to be a maladaptive response to a stressful situation. Psychological distress is a general term, but the intensity of emotions is a subjective experience as everyone processes stressors differently.
For stress to be classified as psychological distress the stressors are causing such an impact that daily life is affected negatively. An example of distress is one’s love one being diagnosed with cancer. Cancer in itself is a difficult situation to observe, but along with it come hefty medical bills, a loss of a relationship and possibly the loss of your financial dependence. These are just a few possible scenarios involved when someone has to go through cancer. Think of a time when you are chatting with a friend and something happens to make them blurt” Don’t stress me out! Although it may have not been your fault, it may be in the eyes of someone who is hyperstressed.
Hyperstress is simply an overload of your “day to day” stress to a point where it becomes unmanageable and mentally draining. Hyperstress is a common result of long-term distress triggers. When one is dealing with this sort of stress, they may not have lost their ability to cope with “the little things”. Instead of spilt milk, it’s a meltdown. People subject to hypostress often find it difficult to process their stress because of a feeling of breaching their body’s capacity.
The yearbook class has been working all year to submit their pages for the final deadline. Josten, the editor of the book, is extremely stressed about finalizing the book in time. As the day approaches, her AP calculus teaches says they will be having an exam with , and her AP Physics teacher throws out a research paper. Josten buckles down and attempts to delegate her time studying appropriately. Another curveball is thrown. Her math test will have no notes. This is a great example of hyperstress that almost every high schooler in america can relate to. This orm of hyperstress is also known as “finals week”.
During this time period, emotions are sensitive, and the brain is running on overtime. Josten will either succeed or fail devastatingly which can be determined by her stress management skills or her support system’s aid. The final type of stress one can experience is hypostress. This experience is opposite of hyperstress, where one does not experience enough stress in his or her life to feel energized or inspired. Imagine the child in school who finishes their work the earliest and stares off into space while the others catch up.
Imagine the factory worker who has spent 12 years producing buttons. These are just a few sorts of the people who might feel underwhelmingly stressed in their life. Most adults strive to have a fulfilling job with meaningful work, but when that opportunity falls flat, hypostress is likely to follow. This dull feeling is not beneficial to anyone’s life. While many envy hypothesised people, stress is healthy for everyone to some extent. To be stressed means you care and are actively invested in something.