Stress can be positive (if you look at it the right way)
ETSU students often enjoy a break from their stressful schedules when therapy dogs visit campus!
Classes. Papers. Projects. Club meetings. Work. Family responsibilities. All these can add up to a pretty big stress load for a college student. Most of the time, folks think stress is a bad thing. But are there times when stress can be positive?
Absolutely, according to Dr. Alison Bible, director of the ETSU Counseling Center and a licensed psychologist.
“Stress isn’t always negative,” she said. “Many positive events in our lives are stressful, such as coming to college or forming new relationships.”
Bible said there is a term for positive stress – “eustress.”
“In the right amounts, stress can be motivating and engaging,” Bible said. “When stress goes up, your heart rate increases and your neurons fire more quickly, leading to increased focus and attention, improved memory and feeling more alert.”
Bible explained this could be the reason some people procrastinate. Their motivation increases as a deadline nears – their stress level grows, and they focus on the assignment.
“Eustress is a powerful motivator,” she said.
Stress itself is neither positive nor negative, but it becomes either eustress or distress depending on the way you look at it, according to Bible.
“Your brain decides how to interpret that energy based on context clues,” she said. “For instance, ‘I have an exam coming up, so this must be stress.’”
How someone frames these bodily reactions matters. If you label it as distress, the emotions that follow can be quite negative. If you tag them as a form of motivation, however, you will reap tremendous benefits.
“We have to reflect on what is creating our stress, understand what part of the situation is important to us, and identify what tangible steps can be taken to increase our chances of a successful outcome,” Bible said. “People respond differently to something when they view it as a ‘challenge’ versus a ‘threat.’ Typically, attempting to change your way of thinking to be more positive, or even neutral, can have a huge impact on how you experience stress.”
Student organizations are encouraged to book a “Stress GPS” workshop, one of several topics offered through Campus Recreation’s wellness programming. In addition, Campus Recreation provides group fitness classes and other resources that are great for helping students with stress management.
The Counseling Center website has an extensive Self-Help section for students and numerous other resources.
Students who need confidential crisis counseling may use the Bucs Press 2 service, a free, 24/7 mental health helpline. Call (423) 439-4841 and press 2 to speak with a counseling professional.
Stay in Touch
Follow ETSU on Social