As we get older, we realize that we hear sentences such as “avoid stress at all cause” “be careful, don’t get too stressed” daily. Stress is something that we commonly avoid at all cost rather than get accustomed with. We often combat stress with self-care routines such as listening to music, physical activities such as yoga, etc. there are multitudes of ways to help us combat stress. Stress has been known to cause physiological symptoms that disturbs us on our day-to-day activities, symptoms such as headaches, nausea, ulcers, stomachache, etc. those symptoms are very much real despite having ‘mere stress’ as the root of the problem, it is very much serious.

We are only accustomed and made aware of the negative impact stress has brought. But like all things, doesn’t stress have a positive side to it? The answer is yes. Good stress is a positive thing that everyone experiences every once in a while. 

First, let’s differentiate between bad and good stress. Bad stress is the type of stress where the person feeling stressed feels like they could not overcome the task or get through the problem, this could cause anxiety and depression and even more issues if it turns out that the person facing the stress could not overcome their stress, this could amplify their anxiety and self-doubt which could be bad in the long run be it mentally or physically. To simplify it, bad stress is when you feel such overwhelming pressure that renders you frozen and unable to function properly.

Next, there is good stress. It sounds weird to put in the words ‘good’ and ‘stress’ next to each other because we are too used to associating stress with negative feelings and aspects in our lives. It is to be avoided and when we are feeling it, we try so hard to lower the amount of it as what we all have been suggested to do by not only people around us but also professionals. But it appears that stress has a positive side to it. Good stress (or positive stress) is the stress that we feel when we are feeling confident towards an obstacle that is in front of us, it is a feeling of pressure with the assurance that we can overcome the issue. For example, while driving a car on a highway, you see that there is a construction being done and all the cars are suddenly stopping, you feel panicked for a second before hitting the brakes and going to a complete stop before hitting the car in front of you, you feel relieved. This kind of stress becomes a learning opportunity where when you first feel like you can’t do something, you ultimately can and this gives you power and sense of relief so that the next time you feel stressed over an obstacle you will be able to be confident about it.

This good or positive stress also applies to children. We might see them a lot more during their childhood when they are still on their exploring stages. When children face stress (pressure) and are able to overcome it, the stress becomes positive stress and children acquire more courage and confidence along with the knowledge to overcome similar obstacles.