DISTRESS, EUSTRESS, AND MINDFULNESS
Distress: Extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain.
Eustress: Pleasant or curative stress.
Mindfulness: A state of active, open attention on the present.
For most of us, the normal pressures of daily life can put us in to a state of distress. Overall, we are not well rested and trying to fit more into our days than we have time for.
"I have too much to do."
"I work long hours and my boss is always on me about <fill in the blank>"
"I'm just too tired when I get home to exercise and I have to take care of my house/spouse/kids/animals/..."
Distress is what increases cortisol in our bodies, makes it harder to get quality sleep, and makes us really unpleasant to be around at times. You are more likely to make bad food choices and even if you are eating better than you normally have in the past, too much stress will still make it difficult to shed those extra pounds, lose body fat, and increase lean muscle mass.
Enter Eustress.
Eustress is the feeling you get when your body is experiencing a different kind of stress. Vigorous exercise, a thrilling ride at an amusement park, or even skydiving (assuming you find those things exciting and/or fun) still put your body under stress but those activities also release endorphins and chemicals that make you feel good. Think of the "eu" in eustress like euphoria or a natural high. You are doing something that is stimulating, energizing, and usually improves your emotional state. It still falls into the stress category but is on the other end of the scale from distress.
Then we come to Mindfulness.
How does mindfulness tie into stress levels and how can we use it within the context of distress and eustress?
Becoming distressed normally occurs from events happening around you and to you that you associate with negative feelings and emotions.
"I got a flat tire when I was already late for work and that just ruined my whole day..."
"So-and-so was really a <insert expletive> to me for no reason and now I'm in a horrible mood..."
It's not the events themselves that are causing the distressed mindset. It's more often than not an ingrained response or learned reaction that you picked up early in life that is "ruining" your day or messing with your mood. Being mindful of the separate events (you running late is one event, the flat tire is a second unrelated event) can be helpful in maintaining the proper mindset to deal with whatever else might come your way. It's never about "positive thinking" but about processing and taking inventory of what you feel and how you react. It's just as easy to remain calm as it is to flip out and scream. The choice is always yours. Practicing the mindful approach is the challenging part of all of it. You can consciously change how you react to distressing situations so you have an opportunity to either learn from what's happening or at least walk away or get through it without feeling wrecked and/or hopeless.
There usually isn't much effort involved in applying mindfulness to eustress. You want to live in those moments and remember the flood of emotions you get from the new roller coaster or bungee jumping or that awesome new workout you just tried. It's right after it happens that you want to be mindful of and take time to process it. Savor it, replay it in your head, and feel it all over again. There have even been some initial studies on meditation right after workouts that show your body responds better to the exercise and gets more benefits when you calm yourself and allow you body and mind to relax after strenuous activity. You don't need a long meditative session either. Just 5-10 minutes of relaxing and focusing your thoughts on what your body just experienced.
So the next time you are experiencing stress, any kind of stress, take a few moments to process it and keep your thoughts on the present moment. In times of distress you may find yourself coming up with new ways to relieve the stress or solve a problem that is causing the distress. If it was eustress then you can give your mind and body a chance to take in the good feelings and endorphins that are generated by exciting and pleasurable activities. Learn to control and process your stresses and your body and mind will respond in better ways so you can live a healthier and calmer life.
Take care.
Eric B.
IFKb
Distress: Extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain.
Eustress: Pleasant or curative stress.
Mindfulness: A state of active, open attention on the present.
For most of us, the normal pressures of daily life can put us in to a state of distress. Overall, we are not well rested and trying to fit more into our days than we have time for.
"I have too much to do."
"I work long hours and my boss is always on me about <fill in the blank>"
"I'm just too tired when I get home to exercise and I have to take care of my house/spouse/kids/animals/..."
Distress is what increases cortisol in our bodies, makes it harder to get quality sleep, and makes us really unpleasant to be around at times. You are more likely to make bad food choices and even if you are eating better than you normally have in the past, too much stress will still make it difficult to shed those extra pounds, lose body fat, and increase lean muscle mass.
Enter Eustress.
Eustress is the feeling you get when your body is experiencing a different kind of stress. Vigorous exercise, a thrilling ride at an amusement park, or even skydiving (assuming you find those things exciting and/or fun) still put your body under stress but those activities also release endorphins and chemicals that make you feel good. Think of the "eu" in eustress like euphoria or a natural high. You are doing something that is stimulating, energizing, and usually improves your emotional state. It still falls into the stress category but is on the other end of the scale from distress.
Then we come to Mindfulness.
How does mindfulness tie into stress levels and how can we use it within the context of distress and eustress?
Becoming distressed normally occurs from events happening around you and to you that you associate with negative feelings and emotions.
"I got a flat tire when I was already late for work and that just ruined my whole day..."
"So-and-so was really a <insert expletive> to me for no reason and now I'm in a horrible mood..."
It's not the events themselves that are causing the distressed mindset. It's more often than not an ingrained response or learned reaction that you picked up early in life that is "ruining" your day or messing with your mood. Being mindful of the separate events (you running late is one event, the flat tire is a second unrelated event) can be helpful in maintaining the proper mindset to deal with whatever else might come your way. It's never about "positive thinking" but about processing and taking inventory of what you feel and how you react. It's just as easy to remain calm as it is to flip out and scream. The choice is always yours. Practicing the mindful approach is the challenging part of all of it. You can consciously change how you react to distressing situations so you have an opportunity to either learn from what's happening or at least walk away or get through it without feeling wrecked and/or hopeless.
There usually isn't much effort involved in applying mindfulness to eustress. You want to live in those moments and remember the flood of emotions you get from the new roller coaster or bungee jumping or that awesome new workout you just tried. It's right after it happens that you want to be mindful of and take time to process it. Savor it, replay it in your head, and feel it all over again. There have even been some initial studies on meditation right after workouts that show your body responds better to the exercise and gets more benefits when you calm yourself and allow you body and mind to relax after strenuous activity. You don't need a long meditative session either. Just 5-10 minutes of relaxing and focusing your thoughts on what your body just experienced.
So the next time you are experiencing stress, any kind of stress, take a few moments to process it and keep your thoughts on the present moment. In times of distress you may find yourself coming up with new ways to relieve the stress or solve a problem that is causing the distress. If it was eustress then you can give your mind and body a chance to take in the good feelings and endorphins that are generated by exciting and pleasurable activities. Learn to control and process your stresses and your body and mind will respond in better ways so you can live a healthier and calmer life.
Take care.
Eric B.
IFKb