What is stress?

Many people have different ideas about what “stress” actually means. For most college students, stress is something that is negative and unpleasant. What most people think of when they hear the word “stress” is actually distress. Distress is a negative emotion that most people generally try to avoid, but there is also a good kind of stress called eustress.

Think of eustress as a helpful agent in your body that calls your attention to a given task and gets you ready for optimal functioning. Eustress is the body’s way of marshalling its forces to prepare for battle, and making sure that all of the soldiers are sober, well-rested, and well-fed.

To continue the battle analogy, when we become distressed it means that our body’s resources are becoming over-burdened; our soldiers are tired and hungry from fighting so much, and they haven’t had enough time to rest and replenish themselves.

Thinking of it another way, have you ever been tired and over-reacted to someone? Maybe you didn't mean to snap at them in anger, but you just couldn't keep it in any longer? That is one "flavor" of distress. If you weren't tired, you probably would have been able to respond with more composure.

Eustress is the kind of stress people are usually talking about when they say that they put things off until the last minute because they think it helps them focus. If their stress isn’t too intense, then it may actually be helpful for them. A lot of times, however, their stress does become distress and their effectiveness is impaired.

Some of the symptoms of stress are:

Feelings	Thoughts	Physical Symptoms	Behaviors
Anxiety Irritability Fear Moodiness Embarrassment Jumpy Depressed Hostile/Angry Frustrated	Self-criticism Difficulty concentrating Difficulty in making decisions Forgetfulness Mental disorganization Preoccupation with the future ("what if...") Repetitive Thoughts Fear of Failure	Tight muscles Cold or sweaty hands Headaches Back of neck tension Tense shoulders Sleep disturbance Stomach distress More colds and infections Fatigue Rapid breathing Pounding heart Trembling Dry mouth Sore or tired eyes Heart or chest pain Oily skin; acne Butterflies in stomach	Stuttering Other speaking difficulties Crying Acting impulsively Nervous laughter "Snapping" at others Teeth grinding Jaw clenching Increased smoking Alcohol or drug use Being prone to more accidents Increased appetite Decreased appetite Frequent urination

 

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

1) How will knowing what "stress" means help me reduce my stress?

2) I need my stress to help me focus. Why would I want to change it?

3) What's the difference between stress, anxiety, and worry?