9 Real-Life Examples of Eustress: Stress You May Need MORE of!

Usually when we use the word ‘stress’, what we really mean is so-called ‘bad’ stress or DIStress. But did you know there’s a word for ‘good’ stress? In this article we explore the origins of eustress, healthy examples of eustress, how it builds resilience and more.

Where the word Eustress comes from

The word eustress, pronounced YOU-stress, was coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye who studied the impact of stress on the mind and body. He added the prefix eu- (from the Greek meaning well or good) to convey the idea of “healthy” stress.

So, what is Eustress?

Eustress is ‘beneficial’ or ‘healthy’ stress. It’s an amount of stress that we find manageable—and that helps us learn, grow, achieve and succeed.

According to the publishers of Oxford’s English Dictionaries, Eustress is “moderate or normal psychological stress, interpreted as being beneficial.”

It’s important to note however, that as each of us is unique, what may be experienced as eustress for one person may be stressful for another. And may even be enjoyable excitement for someone else!

What Eustress feels like

You likely experience eustress when you feel:

• Eager, excited, thrilled or in a state of flow
• Resilient, determined
• Proud, fulfilled

How Eustress fuels our successes and achievements

A certain amount of stress is ESSENTIAL to growth and resilience. Dr. Irena O’Brien (neuroscientist)

Eustress is what helps us deal with excitement and/or challenges in our lives. Here’s how:

1) In the short term

In the short term, eustress provides us with an energy boost to perform challenging activities—especially where we need to focus and put in extra effort.

Examples include playing competitive sport, public speaking or a job interview.

2) In the long term

In the longer term, eustress gives us energy and strength to help us keep working at things—especially when the going gets tough.

Examples could include learning a new language, getting on with our lives after a rejection or keeping on studying when we’d really rather give up!

Eustress grows our confidence and self-esteem

It’s eustress that helps us achieve things of meaning and value to us.

Because when we achieve goals and overcome obstacles we feel better about ourselves: we grow in both confidence and self-esteem.

And this is why, when people stay in their comfort zones they don’t grow—because they’re avoiding all forms of stress including healthy eustress.

Eustress also gets us through tough times

Distressing and tough circumstances can also lead us to experience healthy eustress—but only if we take care of ourselves and consciously make the time to reflect, learn and grow from it.

How do we do this? Well, when we’re gentle with ourselves and process what happened, we learn that we can cope with difficult situations. And this helps us develop greater strength, determination and courage to use in the future.

Here are 9 Healthy Real-Life Examples of Eustress in Action

So, where could you do with more healthy stress in your life? Here are some eustress examples to consider:

1. Getting to know someone we really like whether it’s a new friend, colleague or romantic interest. Eustress gives us the boost we need to keep pushing through the awkwardness.
2. Studying over a period of time. Eustress sustains us as we work towards a new qualification or skill, especially when we may find it tough and want to give up.
3. Travelling. Eustress helps us adapt when we have to get out of our routines and comfort zones. This is especially true when we travel to a foreign country and experience different foods, customs, language/s, scenery and more.
4. Networking and connecting with others. Eustress helps us stay on our toes when we meet lots of new people at once, whether it’s showing ourselves and what we do to a larger world, or joining a new group or community.
5. Playing competitive sports—or a fitness activity. Eustress helps us perform better in the moment AND also to improve ourselves by staying committed to our exercise routine even when we may not feel like it.
6. Working towards big goals or events. Whether it’s getting married, having a baby, getting a new job or promotion, eustress is the fuel that keeps you going when the going gets tough.
7. Developing new skills. Eustress helps especially when we have to practice to improve and work through the awkward beginner’s stage eg. learning a new hobby, language or sport.
8. Getting over a loss or rejection. Whether it’s a job, relationship or some other opportunity, eustress sustains us and helps us learn and grow as individuals—and stay positive to find that silver lining.
9. Going deep with personal development. This is especially relevant for coaching and therapy. It’s eustress that helps people keep working on themselves and turning up for coaching and counselling sessions even when the going gets tough…

Wrap-up

Any time we are out of our comfort zones working towards something bigger or being challenged in a good way, eustress is at work.

In short eustress fuels resilience and achievement. Without situations that create eustress, our lives would be pretty dull—and we wouldn’t grow much.

Your brain is designed for stress. In fact, stress actually changes the shape and function of your brain. And the right kind of stress helps you build long-term cognitive agility and resilience. Dr. Irena O’Brien (neuroscientist)

The important thing is that how we react to a situation, our thoughts and how we treat ourselves are key in determining whether we experience distress or healthy eustress.

Which means that with (self-)care, thought and reflection we can turn something unpleasantly stressful into a positive.

Change the world. Start with you!

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