Learning How to Manage All Kinds of Stress
By: Orange County Department of Human Resources
We all know stress is a fact of life, but what you may not know is stress is unique and complex. The two (2) major types of stress are eustress (“ good ” or “ positive ”) and distress (“ bad ” or “ negative ”). You might be wondering, “ how can stress possibly be positive? ” In a situation, stress could motivate you to prepare, plan, and execute to maximize an outcome in your favor – a good thing, right? On the other hand, if that same situation caused you to not eat, lose sleep, procrastinate, and eventually fumble the entire thing – not so good or “ negative stress. ” Stress can also be acute or chronic. Acute stress is fleeting or momentary whereas chronic stress occurs over a period time. Stress can be any combination of good or bad while happening quickly or over time. Now, let ’ s break down distress into the two (2) degrees of tolerable or toxic. Tolerable distress is something you can generally manage and maintain your composure with – maybe a bad day at work or waiting in a long line at your favorite restaurant.
In contrast, and what you want to be on the lookout for, is toxic distress. This is the type of stress that takes the biggest toll on the mind and body – situations like witnessing a car accident or being continuously overloaded with responsibility. When you encounter toxic stress, management is key. Don ’ t fret, stress management can be learned and should be refined to accommodate for life changes. How do you get started? Stress management can be broken down into three (3) easy steps: identify, examine, and act. Here ’ s how: think of a situation that is stressing you. Then, do a little more investigating by asking yourself exactly about what the situation is bothering you. If you have a hard time with this, do not give up, it will come to you eventually if you give it enough time and space. It can be helpful to do this in a quiet environment where you can be still. Once you ’ ve identified what about the situation bothers you, dig even deeper and ask yourself if anything else may be contributing to the stress. As a follow - up, ask yourself if there was anything that you could have done differently that might have impacted the lead up or the outcome.
Page 33 | April, 2023
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