09/15/2025
My latest Blog on the Two Kinds of Stress:
I was sitting at my desk getting ready to finalize the curriculum for a class that I teach when I was informed via email that the books I needed for my medical residents had not arrived. Not only had they not arrived, they had not been ordered! I thought the top of my head would explode. I could teach the first two lectures, maybe the first four, but after that, the next two or three segments of the curriculum were blown. I wasn’t just stressed; I was in distress.
Distress is negative stress that feels overwhelming or unmanageable. In my case, the lack of the books not only affected the classes I would teach but also the guests I had invited. I looked at my carefully planned semester and felt dread. What could I do to fix it?
There are many situations that can lead to negative stress or distress. In my case it was job stress, but financial problems, relationship issues, chronic illness, financial insecurity, and problems with children are some examples. If distress continues, we are at risk of problems with our health, both physical and emotional, and we may develop bad coping mechanisms such as overeating, drinking or drug use.
Across town, my friend Susan was feeling her own kind of stress. She was getting ready to move into a new house and was planning a wedding in 6 months. There were so many small details to deal with, on top of her already challenging life – a job that she loved and teenage children with busy schedules. Why, she asked me, did she feel stressed, when her life was so good?
It is important to understand that in addition to the kind of negative stress I was feeling, there is also positive stress, called eustress. There can be benefits from positive stress if it is handled well: it can lead to more productivity and make us feel energized, we can become more resilient when we overcome challenges, and new responsibilities motivate us to do more and grow in our personal and professional lives. Eustress if the kind of stress Susan was dealing with.
There is no way to eliminate stress from our lives, but we need to be aware of what kind of stress we are dealing with and what its long-term effects can be. Most importantly, we need to learn to manage it by finding balance in our lives.
-Be aware of the triggers for your stress and how you might handle those triggers.
-Aim for a balance between the triggers for your stress and things that relax you.
- Stay active since regular physical activity, like a short walk, is proven to reduce stress.
-Try mindfulness exercises, yoga or deep-breathing to calm you.
-Talk to someone: a friend, a family member, or a professional.
Remember, no one is stress-free. The challenge is figuring out how to handle both distress and eustress. I reached out to a friend who always encourages me to look for alternatives. Ask yourself, who do you reach out to?
Check out my website for more articles on mental health: https://dralisonblock.com/articles/
