OnlineBookClub.org

The book talks about stressors (reasons for one to stress) being of two types- positive and negative. I always believed stress was not good emotionally and physically, basically negative.
But now that I think about it, an assignment which you can solve with some hours of studying should be positive stress. Am I thinking right? Do you have any better examples?

I agree with you, and I have also, always, thought that stress was a negative thing--probably because it is portrayed that way in our society. I think a great example of stress being a positive thing is if a person knows they are in danger, the stress causes a flight or fight response, which can, as a result save your life. But if a person is always in a state of panic, the flight or fight response is always active, even if there is no threat, and that's when anxiety and stress can be detrimental.

Positive stress example= Working an additional hour to earn extra pay to provide your family with a proper livelihood.

Negative stress example= Worrying about a new pair of clothes you need to buy while you necessarily don't need them.

Stress can be positive! You're right!

I recently had a job interview and was stressed beforehand. The stress prompted me to work hard and prepare to be the best candidate for the job I could be! In that case the stress was positive.

Think about a crying baby... that will stress anyone out, but it's positive because the baby is communicating to you that it needs something. The stress from hearing the baby cry prompts you to act. Good for you and the baby! Assuming it's your own kid, lol.

I believe both negative and positive stresses have different impacts on our minds. Negative as well as postive stress can have both good and bad impact. If I am stressed about the negatives in my life, I turn that stress into something positive and try to turn the neagtive into positive.

rahilshajahan wrote:
> The book talks about stressors (reasons for one to stress) being of two
> types- positive and negative. I always believed stress was not good
> emotionally and physically, basically negative.
> But now that I think about it, an assignment which you can solve with some
> hours of studying should be positive stress. Am I thinking right? Do you
> have any better examples?

As for positive stress or eustress, staring a job or promotion can be stressful because of the extra work that you have to put in, but at the end of the day, you are walking forward in life and achieving something so that should count as positive.

Yes, I suppose everything exists with two perspectives. Personally, I don't regard stress as purely negative. As the researchers say, when human beings are driven into a corner, their adrenaline will reign and humans become supermen. Stress is actually a means of self-defense, but based on how you view the situation, it can be negative or positive. For example, you're facing a deadline. If you give up and do nothing but worry about it, the stress is negative and harmful for your health. But if you think of it as a challenge for your own ability, like "Let's see how much I can do before the deadline.", it will help to boost your creativity under the pressure. That way, not only your work can be done, you'll also be delighted and satisfied.

anoushka_thakur wrote:
> I believe both negative and positive stresses have different impacts on our
> minds. Negative as well as postive stress can have both good and bad
> impact. If I am stressed about the negatives in my life, I turn that stress
> into something positive and try to turn the neagtive into positive.

That is a great way to put it. Turning a negative situation into a positive one should be the way to deal with most of our problems. But still negative stress and positive stress are detrimental to our health and, one must always try to accumulate less stress as possible.

Sou Hi wrote:
> Yes, I suppose everything exists with two perspectives. Personally, I don't
> regard stress as purely negative. As the researchers say, when human beings
> are driven into a corner, their adrenaline will reign and humans become
> supermen. Stress is actually a means of self-defense, but based on how you
> view the situation, it can be negative or positive. For example, you're
> facing a deadline. If you give up and do nothing but worry about it, the
> stress is negative and harmful for your health. But if you think of it as a
> challenge for your own ability, like "Let's see how much I can do
> before the deadline.", it will help to boost your creativity under the
> pressure. That way, not only your work can be done, you'll also be
> delighted and satisfied.

At the end of the day, positive stress is a way to move forward in your life. Like doing a job that will help you in the long run and will result in a positive experience for you.

Stephanie Elizabeth wrote:
> I agree with you, and I have also, always, thought that stress was a
> negative thing--probably because it is portrayed that way in our society. I
> think a great example of stress being a positive thing is if a person knows
> they are in danger, the stress causes a flight or fight response, which
> can, as a result save your life. But if a person is always in a state of
> panic, the flight or fight response is always active, even if there is no
> threat, and that's when anxiety and stress can be detrimental.

Negative stress is detrimental when it stops you from moving forward. Like if you want to stress out about exam results after giving the exam. At this point of time taking stress is pointless and harmful for your health.

Stephanie Elizabeth wrote:
> I agree with you, and I have also, always, thought that stress was a
> negative thing--probably because it is portrayed that way in our society. I
> think a great example of stress being a positive thing is if a person knows
> they are in danger, the stress causes a flight or fight response, which
> can, as a result save your life. But if a person is always in a state of
> panic, the flight or fight response is always active, even if there is no
> threat, and that's when anxiety and stress can be detrimental.

From reading the book and my understanding, I thought it was the GABA count in our brains that measures our overall calmness. If the count is low, you are more prone to anxiety and stress attacks. I can be stressed and still not have adrenaline kicking in, right? So, I don't think the fight or flight response remains always active.

Sou Hi wrote:
> Yes, I suppose everything exists with two perspectives. Personally, I don't
> regard stress as purely negative. As the researchers say, when human beings
> are driven into a corner, their adrenaline will reign and humans become
> supermen. Stress is actually a means of self-defense, but based on how you
> view the situation, it can be negative or positive. For example, you're
> facing a deadline. If you give up and do nothing but worry about it, the
> stress is negative and harmful for your health. But if you think of it as a
> challenge for your own ability, like "Let's see how much I can do
> before the deadline.", it will help to boost your creativity under the
> pressure. That way, not only your work can be done, you'll also be
> delighted and satisfied.

You are actually right. The way we react to the external stimulus determines whether we face positive or negative stress. The external stimulus is not the reason of the stress, but our reaction is and that determines its positivity/negativity. This literally means if you have the ability to reign your emotions, you will be a happy and stress-free human.

Howlan wrote:
> anoushka_thakur wrote:
> > I believe both negative and positive stresses have different impacts on our
> > minds. Negative as well as postive stress can have both good and bad
> > impact. If I am stressed about the negatives in my life, I turn that stress
> > into something positive and try to turn the neagtive into positive.
>
> That is a great way to put it. Turning a negative situation into a positive one
> should be the way to deal with most of our problems. But still negative stress and
> positive stress are detrimental to our health and, one must always try to accumulate
> less stress as possible.

Everything is positive stress if you try hard enough. Thats the true core I guess. Thank you Anoushka and Howlan!

I think negative stress also has to do with chronicity. If you have a very calm life but experience one stressful day, you're going to be working faster, thinking more clearly, being more productive, and generally doing more in the same amount of time - this stress is positive. But if you have a stressful week, by the end you will have lost those positive effects and will just be fatigued, irritable, fuzzy-headed - now the stress is negative.

A more primal example: being chased by a tiger gets your heart pounding and your breath coming fast so you can escape (positive). Sitting up night after night staring into the darkness, expecting the tiger to come back, will also have your heart pounding, even though there's nothing to escape from (negative).

I'm trying to come up with negative stress examples that don't develop over time, but I'm struggling to think of one...

I totally believe that stress has both positive and negative effects. I'd probably say "positive stress" is that which helps us adapt to a situation (often a new situation) by pushing us to optimize it the best we can.