The general perception of stress is that it is bad under all circumstances. This paper will seek to explore the possibility of stress having beneficial effects. Stress may be divided into a) distress which has harmful effects and b) eustress which recent research has shown to have beneficial effects.
Distress is a term used to describe as negative stress. Distress can cause elevated blood pressure, depressed immune system, over-stimulated hormonal activity, and psychophysiological illnesses. This by itself should lead a person to learn how to do with distress but rather it leads to harmful behaviors and indirect health-related behaviors. Over a period of time, unchecked distress will damage the body (Feldman, 2008).
Eustress is defined as being positive stress. It may be termed as excitement. It enlists similar physiological responses. A eustress event is fun, challenging, and has a positive perception from the participant. Whereas, in distress, the individual very often has no or little control of the stressor, in eustress, the individual has control over the stressor. For this reason, what is a distressful situation to one person may be viewed as a eustress to another. For some people, an upcoming flight and the excitement it creates as a eustress. However, for those afraid of flying, they would view an upcoming flight with dread and see it as a distress (Hodgson, S, 2008).
In counseling, one providing counseling services must keep in mind distress and eustress. The counselor should help the client be aware of the effects of stress. Finally, the counselor should help the client develop positive coping skills and behaviors including seeking to turn a situation that is distressing into one that is eustressing.
Hodgson, K. Sue. (2008). Not All Stress Is Bad: Distress vs. Eustress Retrieved June 25, 2008, from Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, West Virginia University Web site: http://www.wvu.edu/~cocenter/Modules/DistressvsEustress.pdf 49
Feldman, Robert S. (2008). Development Across the Life Span (fifth ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
