The key difference between distress and eustress is that distress is negative stress and has negative outcomes, whereas eustress is positive stress and has positive outcomes.
Distress generally has negative impacts on life. Constant distress is unhealthy to both the mental and physical well-being of a person. People who face distress should immediately seek therapy and support from their close circle or trained people. Eustress, on the other hand, has positive impacts on life. People who experience eustress are optimistic, productive and energetic. Socializing, vacationing, engaging in new activities, self-care and achieving goals promote eustress and help to keep distress at bay.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Distress
3. What is Eustress
4. Distress vs Eustress in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Distress vs Eustress
What is Distress?
Distress is the negative stress that causes anxiety, worry, fear and impaired physical functions. It is mainly caused by negative situations and experiences such as losing a job, financial problems, illness, injury, negligence, abuse, losing a loved one, relationship problems, work-related problems or exam-related problems. When a person is suffering from distress, he/she may also show signs such as less focus, restlessness, procrastination, insecurity, impaired performance and fear.
Distress causes not only psychological symptoms but physical symptoms like tension, irritability, fatigue, feeling overwhelmed, shortness of breath, mood changes, headaches, chest pain, insomnia, digestive and appetite problems. This may lead to heart disease if a person’s physical health gets worse. Therefore, frequent chronic stress is extremely unhealthy for a person’s brain and body, and it may lead to many illnesses. When a person cannot avoid a negative situation, he/she should use strategies to protect themselves from distress.
Strategies to Avoid Stress
- Finding the meaning of the negative situation
- Focusing on actions and aspects that are only within the control
- Addressing the root cause
- Identifying actionable steps
- Asking for help and support
- Practising self-compassion
- Practising relaxation techniques
- Engaging in more physical activity
What is Eustress?
Eustress is positive stress that is motivating, helpful, and improves physical functioning. It motivates people to improve their physical performance, work hard, and reach their goals. This usually increases the focus and energy of a person and build physical and mental strength. This is caused by positive experiences in life, such as having a new job or getting married. Eustress has positive impacts such as increased focus, excitement, energy, productivity, performance, resilience, self-efficacy, motivation, confidence, and a positive outlook towards life.
There are various reasons for eustress, and there are many ways can to improve eustress, such as socializing, vacationing, listening to music, mediation, facing challenges, learning new things, taking responsibilities, building a relationship and achieving a goal. Moreover, people who experience eustress are optimistic, have control over situations, focus on solving problems, are prepared, knowledgeable, adaptable, practice self-care, practice stress management and are self-compassionate.
What is the Difference Between Distress and Eustress?
The key difference between distress and eustress is that distress is negative stress and has negative outcomes, while eustress is positive stress and has positive outcomes. People who experience distress are less focused, less energetic, less productive, less resilient, has insecurity, procrastination, fear and a negative outlook towards life. People who experience eustress, on the other hand, are more focused, energetic, productive, self-confident, motivated, has strong mental and physical strength, and has a positive outlook towards life.
The below infographic lists the differences between distress and eustress in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Distress vs Eustress
Distress is negative stress that causes anxiety, worry, fear and impaired physical functions. It is caused due to negative experiences in life. People suffering from distress have a negative outlook towards life. They are mentally and physically unstable, and experience insecurity, procrastination, mood changes and are irritable, less productive, less energetic and less motivated. Frequent distress is extremely unhealthy for both body and brain. Eustress, on the other hand, is positive stress that is motivating, helpful and improves physical functioning. It is caused due to positive experiences in life. People suffering from eustress have a positive outlook towards life. They are mentally and physically stable. They are resilient, more productive, more energetic and more motivated. Thus, this is the summary of the difference between distress and eustress.
Reference:
1. “Psychological Distress.” Cardiac College.
2. “Eustress.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Sept. 2021.
Image Courtesy:
1. “People-emotion-dramatic-female” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “Happy businesswoman standing in front of a business meeting” (CC0) via Pxhere