Types of Stress"Eustress" and "Distress" are two different types of stress that describe nearly all the kinds of stress that play such a huge part in our lives. The "bad" kind of stress is called "distress." The other kind, "eustress," is actually good and beneficial. The terms "Acute," "Episodic," and "Chronic' are important to know in order to make sense of both eustress and distress. Those adjectives supply a context for the kind of benefits and harm we experience from stress. And again, there ARE benefits to stress, even distress! More on "Good Stress" later...."Stress" Any type of stress has to do with our responses to some sort of change. Change causes us to strain, stretch, or be challenged. Stress can be a result of change that comes at us uninvited (like a fire that burns our house, or being let go from a job). It can come from interactions with the people in our lives and the situations and environments we live with (like our children getting married or going away to college, a divorce, retirement, the illness of a friend, or an extra heavy snowfall). We can notice the stress response in a physical, emotional, behavioral or mental way. "Acute" means rapid onset and lasts only a short while. It also means that something is extremely sharp or intense. "Episodic" means something that occurs over and over again in a series of "acute" events. "Chronic" means that something persists, is long-lasting, and occurs over and over again. We think of a chronic condition as a bad thing, something to be cured or overcome if at all possible; like a nasty habit or a bad cough that won't go away. 1st Type of Stress - Distress"Distress" is what comes to mind most often when we think of types of stress. In fact it is abbreviated a plain and simple as "stress." It has pretty negative implications for most of us and it is what people usually want to "manage" or "deal with...." Distress turns into several sub types of stress because it is divided into acute, episodic, and chronic distress.Acute distress is the most common of the types of stress so it is the one we are usually taking about when an event comes on quickly, suddenly. It is the kind of negative stress that is usually short-lived and it is the most intense of the different types of stress. Like when an oncoming truck swerves into our lane on a two-way road! When it all over (and we are safe), we can stop and take some deep breaths, put a hand over our racing heart and say "Phew! THAT was exciting!" Then we move on with our day, in possession of a thrilling story to share. Another, less useful, response might be the slam our hand on the steering wheel in anger and start cussing the guy out, or worse yet, chase after the bad driver for a confrontation! Symptoms of acute distress are familiar to most of us. The thing to remember is that everyone gets these kinds of symptoms because acute distress is part of life. These symptoms are manageable, especially if we are fully aware of them.
Acute Episodic Distress is a life circumstance where acute stress seems to be a way of life. Life is constantly filled with one stressful event after another. Chaos and crisis reign along with Murphy's Law. The person with acute episodic distress often has a to-do list that is never ending, they don't say "no" very often, they seem to always be in a hurry and seldom on time. They tend come across as abrupt, insensitive, and irritable with other people at home, at work, at the grocery store, even in purely social situations. The constant experiences and symptoms of this type of stress becomes a habit. Many people who experience this type of stress have the worry habit and blaming. They see the negative potential in most circumstances. They believe the world is a scary, mean, and dangerous place. And they really suffer because of that belief. The acute episodic stress habit is extremely difficult to break and for a person with acute episodic distress, a Life and Wellness Coach is definitely a place to start to get relief from the pain. Some even need to get help from a therapist or a medical professional to begin recovery. Chronic Distress, is the type of stress that often arises out of long-lasting events and circumstances beyond a person's control. Like living with the tensions of a gang-infested neighborhood, a war zone. It is the stress of feeling trapped in poverty, or as a caregiver for an ungrateful person with significant disabilities. It sometimes comes with the burnout of a job in the legal system or being a fire-fighter. Chronic distress can be caused by traumatic events that happened to a persons in their childhood that they haven't 'worked through' and begin to affect their personality. What it often boils down to is feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and miserable ... a victim who feels or believes there is no way out. Symptoms are tough to deal with and a person with Chronic Distress really ought to be seeing medical and behavioral professionals in addition to stress management professionals. They develop problems like high blood pressure, obesity, cancer, ulcers, sexual dysfunction, even allergies. They die from suicide, stoke anorexia, or heart attack. The hardest part of Chronic Distress is that people just get used to it and they think that is the way life is supposed to be. But being used to doesn't make the symptoms any less dangerous to the person. Although eustress and distress can both be equally taxing on the body, and are cumulative in nature, the body itself cannot physically discern between distress or eustress. We tend to think in terms of "suffering with stress" or "overcoming stress" and it is true. most of the time dealing with stress can feel, well... 'stressful! 2nd Type of Stress - EustressEustress is the good type of stress!. It can be fun and exciting and energizing. Especially acute, or short-term eustress. That's what happens when we respond immediately to a sudden danger and resolve it safely. This type of stress could actually be fun and exciting. It might keep our juices flowing; like when we are racing to meet a deadline, getting dressed for our wedding, or flying down a ski slope. It keeps our juices flowing.Just the right amount of stress is stimulating, it can help us perform tasks faster and better, it can improve our muscle strength, heart functioning and stamina. Some experts say it can even help our bodies resist infection! According to Monika Fleshner, a neuroimmunophysiologist at the University of Boulder, Colo. who has studied stress and the immune system. She says "It’s only under the circumstances of chronic stress or extreme, severe stress that we suffer negative effects." A good Life and Wellness Coach can help you with those types of stress by helping you find the outer resources you need to help you develop your own inner resources to manage stress. In fact, if you find the right coach, she can even help you develop your capacity to experience eustress (the good stress) more consistently in your life.
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