How the Lesser Known "Good Stress" Improves Brain Function
"Did you know there are types of stress that can be good for you?
“Eustress is a great thing. Eustress could be starting a new job, having something exciting happening, moving into a new home… It’s a good stress,” explains Felice Martin, MS, NCC, LPC, Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor, NeuroCoach+ NeuroLeader, Behavioral Health Associates of Georgia, LLC. Good stress may help defend the body against oxidative damage, which impacts aging and disease. It can also improve brain function and even lessen the possibility of mental health conditions, according to a new study published in Psychiatry Research.
The Research
Researchers from the University of Georgia studied data from the Human Connectome Project. They culled information from 1200 young adults who answered a questionnaire that detailed their stress levels, as well as the impact of stress in their lives. Researchers also examined participants’ neurocognitive abilities, including memory, attention, and the ability to switch between tasks.
They were able to draw correlations between stress levels and brain functioning. Low to moderate stress can strengthen a person cognitively, improve resilience, and even serve as a barrier to psychological problems. The study results highlight an important distinction — different types of stress produce very different results on a person’s mental performance and with their mental health.
Good Stress Versus Bad Stress
Hello @comfortableNight4463, back with another awesome article, I see!
Eustress aka the good stress is indeed good and also necessary lol, a decent amount of stress is normal and needed to navigate through life. The best example I can give currently for this is the preparation for exams of any kind, not many students like to spend too much time studying or being away from other activities that they would prefer over studying (obviously lol), but still do study, or atleast try to, in whatever capacity possible for them, it's this good stress doing its job, now different people may have different motivations (for instance in this case, some would study for good grades, to feel nice, get into further studies, fear of failure etc) but bottom line, the good stress makes them study, to avoid a certain consequence or to meet a certain goal.❤
This little amount of needed stress helps one function better, and be able to do things more efficiently.
Intervention should ofcourse be made when stress increases and it starts affecting more negatively, that's when taking a breather helps.
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou
I completely agree with you, Sun! A certain amount of stress is necessary in our life to boost our performance. However, it is important to learn how to release at least some amount of stress, know what to do when stress starts to be overwhelming, and notice red flags to prevent feelings of burnout, anxiety, etc.
@globalBraid3744
Exactly, Braid, thankyou for replying. *high five*
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou I totally agree with you! This is well said. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. As always, your input is greatly appreciated.
@comfortableNight4463 It's true that some normal stress levels can actually provide people with motivation, creativity and productivity. There's also some evidence showing that people who experience stress can live longer unless they are worried that stress may kill them!
I found this fascinating. This is a proof that we don't need to change who we are. The only thing we need to do is change what we can and see the positive aspect on things we can't change! Some things may be more beneficial than they seem at the end of the day. Thank you for the post!
@calmDew1576 Yes, I've heard that too. I wholeheartedly agree. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@comfortableNight4463
Everyone needs some stress in our lives to live! Everytime we focus, exercise, wake up in the morning, learn, study our body is releasing stress hormones to help us with our tasks. In these controlled amounts it teaches our body to properly utilize resources to tackle the challenges of the day!
@comfortableNight4463
I have only skimmed the article, but it is quite interesting nevertheless. I've always wondered why the stress I get from playing competitive games feels amazing, but why stress from, well, lets just say everything else(including other things I have actually chosen to do) isn't.
