We all experience stress at some point. Whether it’s daily chronic stress or occasional bumps in the road, stress can sneak up on us at any time.

您可能不知道压力的是，这并不是全部不好。实际上，我们可以像承受负压力一样频繁地体验到Eustress或积极的压力。

What is eustress?

如果积极压力的想法对您来说是新的，那么您并不孤单。我们大多数人将所有压力等同于负面经历。

Clinical psychiatristDr. Michael Genovese说我们很少将压力视为一件积极的事情，但尤其是那就是 - 积极的压力。他解释说：“令人兴奋或压力的事件会导致体内化学反应。”

Eustress通常是神经的产物，当面对有趣的挑战时，可以带来。Genovese说这很重要，因为没有Eustress，我们的福祉就会受到影响。

“Eustress helps us stay motivated, work toward goals, and feel good about life,” he added.

什么是困扰？

In terms of opposites, distress and eustress are on either end of the spectrum. Unlike eustress,distresscan make you feel overwhelmed because your resources (physically, mentally, emotionally) are inadequate to meet the demands you’re facing.

有执照的专业顾问凯西·李，马萨诸塞州, says this type ofnegative stress会导致焦虑，抑郁和表现下降。

Working and living outside of our comfort zone is a good thing. It’s when we feel overwhelmed that stress can turn negative. That’s what makes eustress such an important part of our总体健康.

Lee说：“ Eustress产生了积极的兴奋，成就感，意义，满足和福祉的感觉。”他解释说，Eustress很好，因为您从压力源中遇到的挑战感到自信，充分和激发。

心理学家Kara Fasone博士says eustress is all about sufficiently challenging yourself without expending all your resources. This type of stress empowers you to grow in three areas:

  • 在情感上，Eustress可以产生积极的满足感，灵感，动力和流动感。
  • Psychologically, eustress helps us build our self-efficacy, autonomy, and resilience.
  • 身体上，Eustress可以帮助我们建立身体（例如，通过完成具有挑战性的锻炼）。

您可以在生活的各个领域找到Eustress。从工作和人际关系到家庭和家庭关系，体验积极压力的机会丰富。

Fasone shares some ways you may see eustress show up in your life:

工作中的eustress

在工作中积极压力的一个例子是塔基•ng on a new project that encourages you to leverage existing strengths (which can be incredibly energizing) and requires you to hone existing skills or learn new ones.

与工作相关的项目只有在具有挑战性但现实的情况下才会推动他们的努力。如果截止日期不切实际，那么您正在兼顾许多项目（不现实的工作量）或使用有毒的团队文化，您更有可能遇到困扰和带来的负面后果。

Eustress in personal interests

Setting challenging goals around your interests or passions is another example of eustress. As humans, we have an innate ability to learn. Learning new things can be challenging. And growing expertise in an area doesn’t happen in a straight line.

There’s typically that learning stage where you may be absolutely terrible. But you’re learning from those mistakes. As you start seeing small wins and continue to build self-efficacy, you’re motivated to continue learning and improving.

Eustress and travel

旅行本质上是压力很大，尤其是当您用不同的语言和习俗探索一个遥远的地方时。

At the same time, you’re immersing yourself in a new and interesting place, with various foods to enjoy, new places to see, and a whole culture to experience.

尽管压力很大，但对于许多人来说，旅行是一种令人大开眼界的经历。

Eustress and physical conditioning

身体上, eustress is exemplified by challenging your body (e.g., lifting weights) to encourage growth (in this case, strength, stamina, and muscle growth).

在健身房或在步行道上，您可能会挤进曲调，并完全划分锻炼。您甚至可能没有意识到工作变得多么疲惫，因为您当下您陷入了困境。

There’s a good chance you already include positive stress in your life. But if you’re looking for ways to make eustress a part of your every day, Fasone shares a few ideas to get you started:

  • Learn something new every day, whether big or small.
  • 将自己推到工作中的舒适区。这可能意味着承担新的责任或发展新技能。
  • Exercise, exercise, exercise!
  • Learn how to set goals (personal and professional) that are challenging and realistic. Track your progress to hold yourself accountable.

Stress, whether positive or negative, is a normal part of life. We may not have control over some of the negative stress we experience, but we can look for ways to include more eustress in our life.