This is the type of stress thats actually good for you

This is the type of stress thats actually good for youThis is the type of stress thats actually good for youI stress, you stress, we all stress for eustress What on earth is eustress? You may have heard this mental health buzzword bandied around lately and wondered how exactly it differs from regular oldlife-is-making-me-crazy stress. But believe it or not, eustress is a kind ofstress thats actually good for us. (Yep, thats a thing.) We spoke to licensed professional counselor Amanda Ruiz, MS of PennsylvaniasThe Counseling Collectiveabout how to identify the eustresses in life - and get the fruchtwein out of them.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreDefinitionWith all we hear about stress raising blood pressure, disturbing sleep, and even bringing onearly death(yikes), it may be hard to believe theres a kind of stress that actually boosts our mental and physical health. So to unders tand eustress, you may have to dismantle some preconceived notion. Simply put, eustress is any kind of pressure in our lives that actually brings positive results.Eustress is the prototyp amount of stress that you feel when doing a positive challenge, something you feel relatively capable in completing, explains Ruiz. Happy, exhilarating events in life, like having a baby or starting a new relationship even though they feel good, create their own kind of stress on the body and brain. After all, some of the same hormones - like adrenalin and cortisol - involved in fear are also present in times of excitement. Therefore, experiencing something thrilling or challenging, such as riding a roller coaster, completing a tough project at work, or buying a new home, brings a certain kind of pressure.The benefits of eustressThis pressure, though it may technically qualify as stress, is surprisingly good for us. When we undertake something difficult, its an opportunity for personal growth, wh ether we succeed or fail. And change, a common source of stress, adds a bit of spice to life. Eustress keeps life exciting, says Ruiz. Without it, you might become bored, complacent, and lack motivation.Plenty of research has looked at the dramatic effects of positive versus negative stress. Theright balance of stresshas been shown to increase alertness and cognitive performance, as well as keep us more adaptable. A2015 studyfound that people with high levels of good stress had less fatigue in the morning and throughout the day than those who experienced distress (AKA negative stress). Andanother, conducted on college students, found a connection between the level of eustress and overall life satisfaction.When is it eustress and when is it destress?So when is itdistress and when is iteustress? Typically, distress makes us feel anxious and overwhelmed. Eustress, on the other hand, brings a feeling of excitement, accomplishment, or a challenge accepted. (The eu comes from a Greek word meaning good, well, pleasant, or true, as in euphoria.) Making cuts to your budget, for example, could be a distress if its a struggle to make ends meet - or could be a positive if its to save for your spring break trip to Italy. If you feel competent to cope with the stressful event, then you are most likely experiencing eustress, says Ruiz. If you doubt your ability to cope with it, and instead if feels unpleasant, then its probably distress.Turning distress into eustressFeel like most of the stressors in your life are the kind that bring you down? Theres hope Your mindset could go a long way toward actually transforming circumstances you perceive as distress into eustress. A2013 studyfound that subjects thoughts about their own stress had a major impact on their physical experience of it. In one module of the study, subjects were interviewed about whether they found life stressors to be enhancing or debilitating. In another, they were shown videos that framed the concept of str ess as either one of these two descriptors. All told, people who were able to think of their stress as having potential benefits had less negative physical responses to it.To get the most out of any stressful situation, try to keep an open mind to how pressures might lead to personal growth. And, regardless of the circumstances, finding aself-care practicethat works for you can keep stress at manageable levels. Learning good stress management techniques can be helpful so you are adequately equipped to cope while going through any stressor, says Ruiz.This article originally appeared on Brit + Co.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people