The Difference Between Healthy And Unhealthy Stress

Psychologists divide stress into two different categories, healthy and unhealthy.Unhealthy stress is easy to recognize as it causes a host of problems, among them anxiety and depression.If unhealthy stress becomes chronic it can lead to more severe psychological and physiological problems including mental illness, stomach ulcers, and possibly even contribute to cancer and heart attacks.Healthy stress is not as easy to recognize and is often overlooked.Healthy stress is what we use when are under pressure, whether on our jobs, during an athletic event, or needing to make a quick split decision in traffic.Healthy stress helps us to mobilize ourselves to think and react quickly when the need arises.

The need for stress was probably most apparent during past ages before humans began living in collective communities.Stress aided human survival by enabling early hunters to make quick decisions when hunting big game.It also helped them to stay alive by helping them remain alert in times of danger and uncertainty.Today, stress is no longer needed in order for mere everyday survival, but it is still necessary to help us function efficiently and effectively.However, many people today are inundated with stress, overwhelmed with stressors that weren't conceivable in the days of early man.Modern societies cope with a whole new set of stressors that are unlimited in scope.These stressors range from fear of losing our jobs and not being able to pay our bills to fear that our children will not make good enough grades to get into a good college and thus acquire a good job.Some people even go so far to stress over dying, worrying about how their families will cope with the medical bills and other unfinished business once they are gone.

There are ways to separate healthy stress from not so healthy stress in an effort to utilize stress to your best advantage.Unhealthy stress can simply be identified as any stress that results in non-productive anxiety.Some examples of unhealthy stress are listed below.

1. Excessive worry, fear, and restlessness that is chronic in nature.

2. Elevated levels of anxiety during rest and relaxation

3. Stress that impairs your ability to concentrate

4. Stress that disrupts sleep.

5. Stress that impairs your performance on the job.

6. An increased frequency of headaches, backaches, stomachaches, and other physiological ailments associated with stress.

Healthy stress is identified as any stress that increases the body's ability to remain alert and ready to perform well under pressure.While unhealthy stress can shorten our lives, healthy stress has the potential to lengthen it.Healthy stress is generally employed when undertaking the following tasks listed below.

1. Taking an important test or exam

2. Working under a deadline

3. Playing a sport such as football or soccer and having to react quickly.

4. Avoiding a potential automobile accident when an inconsiderate or negligent driver pulls out in front of you or suddenly slams on their brakes.

5. Reacting quickly in a dangerous situation such as a violent storm or a robbery.