Is There Really Good Stress And Bad Stress?

Dr. Jeffrey Janata answers the question: 'Are There Good, Bad Types Of Stress?'

ByABC News
January 29, 2009, 12:48 PM

— -- Question: Is there really good stress and bad stress?

Answer: Well some people have described a difference between good and bad stress, labeling good stress, eustress, and bad stress, distress. But either stress, either kind of stress, challenges us. It requires that we have the resources to rise to meet that challenge, that we have the automatic and natural way of producing the fight or flight hormones -- those hormones that are released -- epinephrine, norepinephrine, adrenaline -- all are there to provide us with a burst of energy, to rise to meet the challenges we need to meet. And so, good stress on some level is anything -- I think -- that feels positive to us but still requires that we have that kind of energy to be able to -- that burst of energy -- to be able to rise to meet it.