Distress, or bad stress, is the type of stress that is harmful. Unlike eustress (good stress), which motivates and enhances performance, distress wears you out and negatively impacts your health.
Understanding Harmful Stress (Distress)
Distress can manifest as both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) stress. Its effects are detrimental to your well-being, leading to a range of negative consequences. The Mayo Clinic highlights that stress symptoms impact your body, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987
Key characteristics of harmful stress:
- Wears you out: Prolonged distress leaves you feeling exhausted and depleted.
- Jitteriness and anxiety: It causes feelings of nervousness, unease, and worry.
- Negative impact on health: Distress has been linked to various health problems, including heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and skin problems. https://kpproud-midatlantic.kaiserpermanente.org/stress-harmful-way-think/
- Cognitive impairment: It can lead to decreased concentration, poor performance, and confusion.
- Long-term consequences: Chronic distress can have irreversible effects on your health and well-being, such as premature aging. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-eight-ways-stress-harms-your-health-082713
- Affects all body systems: Stress impacts multiple bodily systems, including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body
- Toxic Stress: In severe cases, prolonged exposure to overwhelming adversity leads to toxic stress, which has lasting negative effects on learning, behavior, and health. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/
Examples of Distress:
- Constantly facing deadlines at work.
- Experiencing ongoing financial difficulties.
- Dealing with a serious illness.
- Navigating a difficult relationship.
- Enduring prolonged trauma or abuse.
How you perceive stress also matters. Viewing stress as inherently harmful can worsen its negative effects. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2015/05/embracing-stress-is-more-important-than-reducing-stress,-stanford-psychologist-says
