GOOD stress vs. BAD stress?
If you look up what is the difference between good stress and bad stress, you’ll probably be left confused by what you find.
A slew of articles from the Mayo Clinic & other esteemed hospitals saying there IS a difference, and that you’ll know it when you feel it, but never really saying WHAT actually makes stress good or bad.
Most people think it’s all about the event.
Exercise = good stress
Money troubles = bad stress
An escape room puzzle = good stress
Losing a loved one = bad stress
And while I agree that some things are just inherently not “good” the reality is that the event itself is NOT the key factor that determines whether the stressful event leads to positive or negative health outcomes.
Wait, really?
But what about REALLY stressful things, like a hot-tempered boss, an illness diagnosis, long-term caretaking for a parent, or getting in a car crash?
Surprisingly, even those stressors themselves don't DETERMINE whether the stress will result in long-term health consequences or benefits.
So here’s what REALLY makes stress good or bad:
The state of your nervous system going into the event
Your state of arousal, energetic resources and level of groundedness plays a HUGE role in whether you interpret a situation as good or bad, stressful or manageable. For example, if you are running late for work, slept poorly and are overcaffinated and then someone cuts you off in traffic, you will react differently then if you were well rested and driving home from a yoga class. And not only will your reaction will be different, but how long you stay stressed afterwards will change too--and both of those factors help determine how the exact same stressor impacts your health.
Your mindset before, during & after
Your interpretation of whether or not the stress is bad for you literally transforms your physiological response to the stress. If you think stress is there to give you energy and focus to deal with a problem, then you will have a challenge response much like exercise (good stress) and if you believe stress is a scary, you’ll have a threat response (bad stress.) This belief has been shown to literally change how your blood vessels dilate (or not), whether blood pressure increases (or not), how much cortisol is released and more.
Your ability to recover after it passes
Even if you have a HUGE stressor that pops up and you have a HUGE stress response, that doesn’t automatically make it harmful—how long the stress response stays turned on is what matters. If you are able to DOWNREGULATE & recover when the stressor is over, then your health will not be harmed long-term. If you can't and you stay in a low-grade stress response for a prolonged period of time, it will continue to impact your health negatively.
And this is where your breath is such an amazing tool.
DIAGNOSITCS--it can help show you whether you are currently in a stress response or not
BASELINE--functional breathing can help ensurre your baseline state of arousal isn't overly amped up and anxious
DOWNREGULATION--your breath is one of the fastest tools for bringing yourself back down after a stressor (mental or physical) to ensure the event doesn't impact your health.
If you're ready to get started or learn how this could benefit YOU, sign up for a free 30 min consult & assessment and let's chat.
My name is Kevin & I want you to help you live a more resilient, intentional life.