Positive and Negative Stress Divide Stress into Good and Bad

Healthful Vitality | 10/24/2021 | Positive and Negative Stress Divide Stress into Good and Bad

Stress is always present. However, its impact on health depends on the gravity of stress and a person’s response to stress.

Stress is a protective response of the body, and thus it is good. However, uncontrolled stress causes diseases, metabolic disorders, and thus is bad. Therefore, it could be a good idea to divide stress into good and bad.

The positive stress

Stress may be acute or chronic. Acute stress is mostly good and positive, though its experience may be quite alarming. Although acute stress is a rare event nonetheless, most people have felt it. Acute stress is a defensive response to some unexpected threat, like coming face to face with a bear.

Acute stress immediately causes an adrenalin rush. It prepares the body to either fight or run away from the threat. This short-term adrenaline rush may considerably boost energy levels and even strength. It is positive in every way, except in some rare conditions or in older adults living with heart disease.

Even chronic stress may be positive. However, it will all depend on one’s response to the stress. Many people feel challenged by stressful conditions and respond positively. This response is called Eustress.

Eustress fulfills the body with energy, prepares a person to do the best. It makes a person feel excited about life. It is one of the drivers of life. So much progress is made by humans when faced with stress. Stress forces people to get out of their comfort zones, learn new skills, initiate more potent responses, and overcome threats.

The negative stress

People are not always able to fight stress. Sometimes, prolonged worries and threats become overwhelming. This may cause severe distress.

Real issues indeed cause distress, but not necessarily. For example, many past experiences are the source of stress. Further, in many individuals, the perceived threat causes stress rather than any real issue. How a person perceives a threat depends on their mental approach to matters.

Moreover, it would be difficult to define a threat. For example, for some people with high income, even not getting a promotion may cause stress. While for others, stress may be caused by very low income and inability to feed the family. So, as one can understand, negative stress has more to do with emotional response and is not essentially due to some real danger.

Those prone to negative stress would often remain in that state. For them, the reasons for worry may keep changing, but there would always be a reason for concern. Such constant stress causes havoc. It forces the brain to initiate so-called chronic stress responses.

Unlike acute stress response, the chronic stress response is milder and prolonged. Thus, it involves hormones like cortisol and vasopressin. These hormones are good in the way that they prepare the body for a prolonged fight. However, over the long run, they cause severe metabolic and behavioral changes in the body.

Chronis stress and the rise of numerous diseases

Chronis stress response is behind the rise of numerous disease conditions like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. In addition, it is quite probable that negative stress causes conditions like dementia. As one can see, that stress is generally a defensive response. Acute stress protects from unexpected threats. On the other hand, chronic stress prepares the body for a prolonged fight. However, very prolonged chronic stress causes ill effects, makes a person exhausted, and worsens health. Since it is mainly an emotional response, it may be managed to ensure that one can stay healthy.

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