The term Eustress stands for "positive stress" while dysstress means "negative stress". Both terms are often used in connection with stress management. Stress is not always harmful to the human organism; it can also have positive effects.
What is eustress?
The term “eustress” goes back to the Latin language, the preceding syllable “Eu” means “good”. Eustress has a positive effect on the human organism, while dysstress is harmful in the long term.
People are able to decide within a few seconds whether a stressful situation is negative or positive for them, although this perception is subjective. The body adjusts itself to “flight” or “fight”. While one person perceives a task as a pleasant challenge, i.e. associates it with positive stress, the same task can mean exactly the opposite for another. Positive stress is good for people, it arouses their thirst for action and releases the neurotransmitters adrenaline and cortisol, which mobilize undreamt-of strengths.
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Whether a situation is associated with eustress or dysstress depends not only on the subjective impression, but also on other factors such as age, physical constitution, education, income, religion and the social environment.
The boundaries between eustress and dysstress can be fluid, because even those who experience positive stress on a daily basis due to challenging tasks, which are usually accompanied by success and recognition, cannot always achieve top performance. Everyone needs periods of rest, in which body and mind have the opportunity to regenerate, otherwise there is a risk of burnout at some point.
In most cases, dysstress arises slowly, through many small events and inconveniences that everyday life brings with it. However, it can also be a long-term situation, such as workplace bullying. In this case, the person concerned no longer experiences the situation and the tasks associated with it as positive stress that spurs them on to top performance, but as negative stress due to a psychologically stressful situation. The time comes when he is no longer up to his tasks and has health problems.
Many people believe it is best to live without any stress at all. From a medical point of view, however, this situation is counterproductive, because people need a certain minimum level of stress in order to remain productive and to advance personal development. People experience positive stress in a balanced and pleasant professional and private environment. Happy people feel up to the changes that life brings under these circumstances.
The body responds to these positive experiences by releasing neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine from the brain. These happiness hormones give people additional strength to mobilize a maximum of energy. The cardiovascular system runs at full speed, the pupils dilate, breathing is shortened and appetite is reduced. This reaction of the body is a much needed stress response to changed situations.
Eustress should, however, only occur sporadically and not continuously, because nature has set it up in such a way that people are only able to mobilize all their forces for a short time in order to "take on the world". This stress response usually lasts fifteen minutes, because the body uses large energy reserves for the release of adrenaline, which are not sufficient for a long period of time.
People experience dysstress in a negative private or negative professional environment. The body does not react to this negative state by releasing messenger substances. On the contrary, negative stress puts a strain on the human immune system, which is then constantly on the alert and works aimlessly and without a plan. The “the danger is over” signal is missing, the body no longer pours out power-generating neurotransmitters, but harmful hormones that put excessive strain on the cardiovascular system and can cause various complaints and diseases.
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Stress is triggered by various factors, which can be negative (dysstress) or positive (eustress). The body immediately falls into a state of extreme tension. At the same time, various neurotransmitters are released that enable the affected people to cope with the stressful situation.
An important messenger substance that allows extensive stress management is adrenaline. During the adrenaline rush, those affected have more strength available. However, if this important messenger substance is released on a regular basis, at some point there will be a habituation effect, the body no longer reacts in stressful situations with the same force as before. Concentration and attention decrease, fatigue and a general feeling of weakness set in more quickly.
No one is able to achieve top performance every day, even if these are in connection with positive challenges in their private or professional environment, which usually also bring recognition and success with them. Eustress can at some point turn into the opposite, into dysstress. Physical alarm signals are weakness, tiredness, difficulty concentrating, headaches and a racing heart. Anyone who ignores these initially harmless warning signals from their body in the long term runs the risk of becoming seriously ill. Constantly stressed people are irritable, lose their composure quickly and are prone to colds and infectious diseases. The originally positive stress that motivated people to perform at their best now leads to a decline in performance.
Lighter illnesses include burnout, migraines, and poor wound healing. Serious illnesses such as heart attack, arteriosclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable stomach, stroke, stomach ulcers or gallstones can also result when eustress turns into dysstress. The affected persons are prone to addictive behavior with tablets and alcohol, suffer from depression and listlessness. At some point they result in a state of inner resignation, which has a negative impact on feelings, thinking and social life.
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